The Night Beauty
by rukia23
Summary: Sayomi was a Soul Reaper with a bright future, but things can change. One of the strongest Vizard she must decide to help either the home that betrayed her & forced her out, or the ones that changed her & started it all. KenseiXOc? ByakuyaxOc? Undecided.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach but I do own my new oc...Just don't tell her that.... She might hurt me... She might not look scary, but she is....

Ok, a few things. For those of you who have read my other stories then you probably already caught on to this but anyways..

So when there is text inside '....' it means it's a thought, or something said in someone's head. If the writing inside the '...' is in _italics_, then it's most likely a zanpakuto unless otherwise specified, k?

And then anything in "..." is spoken word unless otherwise specified, but usually I only use the double quotes if it's spoken word so yeah.

Make sense? Hope so, if not just ask, I try to make it really distinct what's what though.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**A Glimpse of the Past**

_A little girl, no more than ten years old in a dirty and torn yellow yukata ran barefoot down a dirt path lined with low bushes, weeds and small, twisted trees. Her soiled white hair fanned out behind her as she ran and salty tears leaked from her soft blue eyes as small whimpers racked her tiny body._

_A cry escaped from her lips as she tripped over a rock and went sprawling into the dirt. She tried to stand up again, but her little body was too tired, and it didn't help that she hadn't eaten in days._

_There was a sort of screech-like howl from behind her and another sob escaped her shaky lips, making her body tremble with its force._

_She already knew what was behind her without looking, a monster. A scary monster that wanted to eat her because she was different from the majority of the people in this desolate place she called home._

_It looked like some type of bird with a white face and pointed nose. It's large, taloned feet made strange squelching noises in the dirt as it approached the frightened child._

_The little girl again tried to push herself to her tiny feet, but only made it halfway up before she was thrown through the air when something collided with her little side. Her body collided with the rough bark of a tree and she sank to the ground in a heap._

_Her last vision before she blacked out was of a man in white with graying hair, he was standing with his back to her, facing the monster that had chased her._

_

* * *

_

"_I think she's waking up now," someone said, the voice sounded masculine and strong._

"_The poor thing's been asleep for almost a week," another voice said, this one was feminine and soft._

_Light blue eyes slowly fluttered open and were met by brown eyes and a soft smile._

_Immediately, the little girl became frightened and whimpered quietly, raising a small hand to rub at her eyes._

"_It's alright dear. You're safe," the woman who was leaning over her said reassuringly._

_The woman had dark brown hair with a few streaks of gray and tanned skin, she was smiling warmly and her brown eyes were dancing with life._

"_Where am I," the little girl asked quietly, timidly._

"_You're at our home. My name is Mai Himura and that over there is my husband, Hiroshi Himura," the __woman answered as she nodded towards a large man that was leaning against the wall by the doorway. _

"_What happened to the monster," the little girl asked shakily._

"_Don't worry about the monster. It's gone," Mai replied with a reassuring smile._

"_What about my brother," the girl asked._

_Mai looked surprised and glanced at her husband who just shook his head._

"_I'm sorry dear but I don't know. Do you have family somewhere in the Rukongai," the woman asked._

"_No, ma'am. Just my brother, but I got lost a few days ago and couldn't find him. Then the monster tried to __eat me," the little girls blue eyes began to fill with tears as she spoke._

"_Shhh. It's alright now," Mai said softly to the upset child, "Where were you living dear?"_

_The little girl shook her head, "We didn't have a home. We slept where ever we could, and ate what we could find."_

"_I see. What is your name little one," Mai asked, as she pushed a strand of the girls white hair from her pale cheek._

"_S-Sayomi, ma'am," the girl sniffled as she wiped at her teary eyes._

"_Well Sayomi. Would you like to live here with Hiroshi and I?"_

_The little girl's face brightened for a moment, before falling into a frown._

"_But what about my brother," Sayomi asked._

"_If we find him, he can stay too. How does that sound," Mai said happily._

_The little girl nodded vigorously and smiled brightly._

"_Alright. It's settled then," Mai said with a smile as she stood up from the bed, "We should get you cleaned up and fed. Sora."_

_A moment after Mai had called, a young woman appeared in the doorway. _

"_Yes Mai-sama," the woman asked as she bowed._

"_Would you please help Sayomi here in getting bathed and dressed," Mai asked._

"_Of course, Mai-sama."_

"_Sama," Sayomi said slowly as she gazed at Mai._

"_Yes Sayomi, sama. You will be Sayomi-sama now too. You are a Himura now, and that means you are a noble, and must learn to act like one. Do you think you can do that?"_

_Sayomi nodded her head and grinned toothily up at the woman._

"_Good, now let Sora help you bathe and dress. Once you're done she'll fetch you some food, I'm sure you're hungry," Mai said, before laughing lightly when Sayomi's eyes brightened at the mention of food, "After that you should get some more rest."_

"_Yes Mai-sama," Sayomi answered, with a small, awkward bow._

_Mai patted the girl on the head and smiled before walking to where her husband stood near the door. He was a large man, nearly six feet tall, lean and muscular. He had graying brown hair and pale brown eyes. _

_The couple exited the room and slid the thin door shut behind them._

_Once the two had left, Sora, who was a woman of about twenty years old, with short blond hair and blue eyes walked up to Sayomi and smiled._

"_Come along Sayomi-sama we need to get you nice and clean," the woman said cheerily as she held out one of her hands for the girl to take._

_Sayomi frowned up at the woman and didn't take the offered hand._

"_What's wrong," the woman asked._

"_I'm a sama now," Sayomi asked, her little face seemed to be confused and was scrunched up a little._

"_Yes, you're a sama now," Sora answered as she tapped Sayomi on the nose, "You are Sayomi Himura-sama. You are the daughter of Hiroshi and Mai Himura-sama."_

"_But I'm not their real daughter, wouldn't they like to have a real daughter instead of me," Sayomi asked._

_Sora's face fell slightly and she bowed her head, "That's enough questions Sayomi-sama let's go and get you in the bath."_

_Sayomi looked disappointed at not having received an answer but she nodded her head and took Sora's hand._

* * *

Bright blue eyes fluttered open, and looked around in confusion. The small dark room wasn't the same she had been in moments before. But then she was no longer a child either. She was over a hundred and sixty years old, young by some standards and ancient by others.

'Just a dream,' she thought as she rubbed at her tired eyes. 'Well a memory, anyways.'

* * *

She tugged at the hem of the short gray skirt, the shiny silver chain link bracelet with a dark blue ribbon through it tied in a neat bow on her wrist, tinkling quietly. Straightening up, she frowned at the red tie that was tied at the base of her throat. With a sigh she tugged on the beige sweater vest over the white button up shirt and pulled her long white hair out of the shirt.

Slipping on a pair of brown shoes over her white knee high socks the small girl grabbed the black book bag that was by the door and left the tiny room.

'_I really don't know why you waste your time going to this school thing_,' a voice said to her, it was a calm, cool voice, like the first soft blow of wind that signified winter had arrived.

The pale girl rolled her light blue eyes and sighed.

'What else do I have to do in this rather horrid world,' the girl retorted.

'_You could always go back to them_,' the male voice said to her.

Another sigh escaped the girl's pink lips as she brushed a few strands of her elbow length white hair from her face.

'I refuse to go back, and you know it,' the girl replied haughtily.

'_More like you're too stubborn_.'

'Fuyu,' the girl warned.

'_Fine, fine. But really Sayomi-sama do we have to go_,' Fuyu asked arrogantly.

'Honestly Fuyu it's not that bad,' Sayomi replied.

'_At least_-'

Sayomi stopped abruptly on the path that she was walking along. She was only a few houses down from the school, standing in the shadow of one of the trees that lined the street.

'_Sayomi-sama, are you alright_,' Fuyu asked.

'That girl,' Sayomi replied as she stared at a girl that was maybe only an inch or two shorter than herself with black hair, the girl's back was to Sayomi as she walked up to the gates of the same school she was headed for. 'Her reiatsu is the one I've been feeling, but it's different now. Almost nonexistent.'

'_A Soul Reaper_,' Fuyu stated, an icy edge to his soft voice.

'Yes, she's a Soul Reaper, but what is she doing in a gigai and school uniform,' Sayomi mused.

The black haired girl paused at the gate to the school and slowly turned in the direction that Sayomi was in. When the girl's purple eyes landed on the shade beneath the tree she had sensed someone under, there was no one there, just a few brown and green leaves skidding along the concrete.

'_You're not going to school_,' Fuyu asked as Sayomi walked down an alley that led away from the school and back into the residential area surrounding it.

'No, I'm going to see Urahara. That girl had to have gotten the gigai from him, so he most likely knows who she is and what she's doing here, as well as who the new spiritual pressure belongs to. It seems very familiar, don't you think?'

'_It does, but I can't seem to place it_.'

The girl walked a few minutes before coming to a neighborhood of apartment buildings. She walked along the path that was lined on either side by fences or the walls of the apartment complexes, and dotted with a few benches and trash cans.

She stopped at one of the openings in the wall and turned into it. Before her was a rather nondescript two story building with a little banner that proclaimed it to be the Urahara Shoten. Walking up to the sliding doors of the entrance the girl lifted a small, pale hand and slid open one of the doors.

Inside the doors was a series of shelves that held an assortment of candies and other sweets and snacks. Sayomi entered the shop and shut the door behind her, slipping off her shoes, she walked towards the raised platform that led into the rest of the building that served as a house. She heard footsteps from the back of the shop and stood impatiently, tapping her white clad foot against the wooden floor.

A tall, muscular man wearing glasses and an apron walked into the room.

"Ms Himura, what can I do for you today," the burly man asked when he laid eyes on the white haired girl.

"Hello, Tessai. Is Urahara available," the girl asked politely, her voice quiet and soft, reminiscent of falling snow, for though it was calm now, it could be cold and unforgiving at times.

"I'm afraid that he-"

"Well, well what have we here," a man said as he walked into the interior of the shop. He wore a green and white beach bucket hat over his blond hair and dark green hakama and kimono top, over which he wore an open black robe.

Sayomi quirked a thin brow at the man whose eyes where hidden in the shadow of his hat.

"Ahh, Sayomi," the man sung upon laying his eyes on the small white haired, blue eyed girl.

"Kisuke, I believe Tessai was in the process of trying to get you out of having to see me," Sayomi said coldly.

Kisuke shivered as she spoke but quickly shook it off and smiled brightly.

"Well I'm here now, how may I help you, beautiful lady," Kisuke asked her pleasantly as he whipped out a little fan and covered part of his face.

"You know why I'm here," she stated.

"Ah, yes well, how about some tea," the blond offered.

"Fine, but I expect answers, not your usual useless banter," Sayomi said.

She followed the store owner and the large man to the back of the shop and sat down on a red cushion that was set before a round wooden table.

"I suppose you sensed the changes in spiritual pressure," Kisuke asked.

"Yes, I had sensed an unfamiliar spiritual pressure in the area lately, but last night it died down and was replaced by another. This one is stronger, and seems to be uncontrolled," Sayomi replied as Tessai set a little green tea kettle on the table as well as two red cups.

Sayomi poured herself a glass of the hot green tea and waited for Urahara to answer.

"And what is it you wish to know," he asked.

"As I was walking to school this morning I saw a new student, she had short black hair, purple eyes, a little shorter than me, which is pretty impressive," the girl muttered as an after thought, before continuing, "sound familiar?"

Urahara seemed to think about the question for a moment while tapping his fan against his chin, "Nope, not at-"

"Don't lie to me Urahara, do you remember the last time," Sayomi asked, her voice unnaturally calm, in a way it almost sounded as if she were singing.

A visible shiver made its way down Urahara's back and Sayomi repressed a satisfied smirk.

"Well," she pressed.

"Oh, I remember now," he replied sheepishly.

"Good. Now who is she?"

"It wouldn't be right to give away information about my customers, I would lose their trust," Urahara said dramatically.

A sudden stir of wind swept through the room, lifting Sayomi's hair off her shoulders briefly before it settled back down.

"I'm not in the mood for your games Urahara, who is she? She's a Soul Reaper correct?" Sayomi asked.

"Um, well," the man replied as he rubbed at his neck.

"So she is," Sayomi stated. "What is she doing in the real world? In one of your gigai none the less."

"Well...."

Another stir of freezing wind swept through the small room making Urahara chuckle nervously.

"She was sent to watch over Karakura town, but things went wrong and she accidentally gave her powers to...someone," he replied.

"I see. That explains why she seemed so weak, she's recovering. It also explains the strange surge in reiatsu I felt last night. Who did she transfer her powers to? The reiatsu seems strangely familiar to me."

"I don't know."

"You're lying again."

Urahara waved his hands around in front of him frantically while stuttering out a denial.

"Never mind, I'll figure it out on my own. Now stop your whining," Sayomi ordered.

"Shouldn't you be in school," Urahara asked.

"I don't go because I have to, you know," Sayomi replied flippantly. "I go because I'm bored."

"Bored?"

"Yes, bored. Ever since I came to this stupid world I've been bored."

"You miss the Soul Society?"

"I miss the life I could have had, that I should have had," Sayomi answered as she looked into the green tea before her.

"Yes, don't we all," Urahara agreed.

They sat in silence for a little while sipping casually at their tea.

Urahara sighed contentedly.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

Sayomi frowned. "I hate Soul Reapers," she said quietly.

"Even though you were one?"

"That was a long time ago," she answered wistfully.

"Not that long ago."

"Perhaps. I think for now I'll avoid her. I don't need anyone alerted to where I am," Sayomi said as she stood up from the table.

"What about them," Urahara asked.

Sayomi scoffed. "_They_ won't cause trouble unless it's beneficial to them. They won't be interested in some run away soul reaper. They may, however, develop an interest in the one that possesses the reiatsu I felt last night. It's strong and they'll be drawn to that. As long as whoever it belongs to stays out of trouble, it shouldn't be a problem though. I trust you'll take care of that.

Urahara chuckled.

"Don't do anything reckless, Urahara," she said as she made her way to the exit.

"I would never," the man replied in mock offense.

Rolling her eyes, Sayomi exited the shop and walked around the town for a few hours until a flare in reiatsu caught her attention.

"It's the same as last night, and the one I've been feeling all day," she said as her eyes roamed the streets.

Without hesitation, Sayomi ran up the block and passed all the houses and buildings until she came to a little park. She saw a spider like hollow chasing the soul of a small boy. She was behind the spectacle, covered from view by the shade of a few trees and a short block wall.

She heard some shouts and then the hollow began to disappear. When it began to disintegrate Sayomi saw the source of the spiritual pressure she'd been feeling as well as the little black haired girl she had seen earlier at the school.

"Ichigo, what have you gotten yourself into," she muttered as she watched her orange haired classmate who was now dressed in the black garb of a Soul Reaper perform Konso, Soul Burial, on the small child.

A frown creased her face as she watched the two people leave the park.

After looking at the spot where she had seen Ichigo perform the Konso, Sayomi sighed and turned away from the little park. She walked back to her little apartment that was in a more run down part of town. She walked up the shoddy, creaky steps to the second floor of a building that looked as if at one time it was actually quite nice, but now the paint was peeling and there were water stains on parts of the ceilings from leaks. Unlocking her wooden door and pushing it open, she stepped into a small room. She had a bed roll off towards the back under the one window in the room, and there was a little kitchen area with a small fridge to her left, and a little bathroom to her right. If she hadn't been as small as she was she wouldn't have fit in the cramped space.

Walking over to the small fridge, she grabbed a bottle of water and then sat down on her bed roll in deep thought.

'_What are you going to do, Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyu asked.

'I really don't know. I want to avoid her at all costs while she's here, but something tells me that Urahara is up to something. When isn't he though,' she answered.

'_Are you just going to hide out here then,_' the voice asked.

Sayomi sighed. 'No, I'll probably visit them.'

'_I'm sure they'd like that._'

'It's been awhile and I'd like to see some of them again. That and it's been a long time since they've tried contacting me. Meaning that they have either not gotten any new information or they no longer feel the need to consult with me,' Sayomi replied.

'_So they likely have no new information then?_'

'Yes. They wouldn't make a move without my knowing and if they did they know there would be consequences.'

'_For one so small, you really are a little scary sometimes_,' Fuyu stated.

'Fuyukaze,' Sayomi snapped.

'_See._'

The white haired girl growled, 'Well for a zanpakuto you talk a lot.'

By them or they Sayomi and Fuyukaze were referring to the Vizard, or the Masked Army, as they were called. They had all been forced out of their home, the Soul Society, nearly a hundred years before. They had then taken refuge in the world of the living. Waiting, and watching. It had not been a simple mistake, or bad decision that had landed them in the predicament that they were in. Instead, it had been a traitorous and vile act by a fellow Soul Reaper that had triggered a reaction within them all. This reaction, had awoken the evil beings that dwelt deep in their souls.

Their inner Hollows.

Kisuke Urahara had been able to help them before they had fully been taken over by their hollows, but they then had to learn to suppress it, to beat down, and then how to harness the power of the beings inside them.

To say the least it had not been easy. They were no longer simple Shinigami, they weren't hollows either, they were something else entirely. They were stronger, faster, and more powerful than they had been before the act that had nearly turned them into monsters. They were now able to call upon the beings within themselves, and use that power to aid them in battles. Vizard, masked army, they got their name by being able to manifest the mask of the hollow that lie trapped inside them.

However, a new race, especially one so powerful, was not easily accepted. To Shinigami, hollows were the enemy. So what do you do when your friends, your leaders, and even some of your nobility are suddenly able to use powers that only a hollow should be able to use? There was only one thing to do in the eyes of the Soul Society.

Fear.

You fear them. You push them away, and make them outcasts in their own home for something that was beyond their control. Force them into exile and tell them never to return.

This being said it is easy to see why they would hate Soul Reapers, some don't feel as strongly as others, but the majority can't forgive the injustice done to them. Many even hate humans, their emotions are thought to be too fickle and unstable.

The Vizards have accepted their fate. Many embrace the new found abilities they were given. Why wouldn't they though, they are stronger than almost any other being, and they know that in the end that extra strength will help them to defeat the ones who ruined their lives.

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Please review!


	2. Chapter 2 Warehouses and Tempers

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach...

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Warehouses and Tempers**

A small white cat wearing a silver chain link collar with a blue ribbon laced through it, ambled along the warehouse district of Karakura town. It was following the path that would lead it to the more run down warehouses. The ones that were no longer in use and that people rarely ventured near. The buildings here had broken windows and graffiti on their chipped and cracked concrete walls. The only beings that lived here were stray animals, rodents, and insects.

The white cat sauntered up to a seemingly empty space between two large warehouses. It then observed the way that the ants and even some birds seemed to avoid the area around the empty space. Cocking it's little head to the side, the cat stood back up and walked towards the empty space.

It had walked about five feet when it suddenly vanished.

Before the cat now stood a tall concrete building, it was about four stories high and there was a broken and dirty window above the large roll up door that dominated the front of the structure. The door was currently partially open and without hesitation the white cat padded silently into the warehouse.

The interior of the building was rather dark and dull, small specks of dust could be seen floating freely through the air. At one time it appeared that the building had three other floors aside from the ground floor, but now the floors were in ruins. Slabs of broken concrete jutted out of the walls, running in jagged lines across the length of the warehouse.

Walking further into the warehouse, the little cat came upon a group of eight people. Each one looked as different as the next and they were all doing something different to occupy their bored minds.

At a square table off to the left were three men. One, a man with sunglasses and a spiked afro, was reading through a manga. Another, a long wavy haired blond man sat fiddling with the strings of an acoustic guitar. The other man had short grayish white hair and appeared to be flipping through a magazine with little interest.

In front of the table a few feet away was a green couch. On the couch was a man with chin length blond hair, he was lying on his back with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. There was a large man in a light colored tuxedo and very short pink hair off to the far right, his head was bowed into his chest as if he were asleep. In the center of the floor lay a girl with bright green hair and a white bodysuit, she too seemed to be asleep and was mumbling incoherently as she rolled around on the floor.

On the floor above, leaning against one of the concrete pillars that had at one time held the floors up, sat a girl with braided black hair, she wore a school uniform that was different from the ones you would normally see in the area, she had her face hidden behind a magazine.

The eighth and final person was a short blond girl with pig tails, she was sitting cross legged against the far side of the couch, and all that was visible of her from where the cat stood was her blond hair.

Strolling noiselessly over to the table, the cat leapt into the lap of the grayish haired man. He looked more like a teenager though in his black and white jersey styled tank top and khaki cargo pants.

"What the-"

The man nearly threw the cat off his lap in his surprise, but when he saw the cat, he just glared angrily down at it.

The cat raised its head slightly and meowed as if to ask what the problem was.

"What's up, Kensei," the man with the spiked afro asked as he looked up from his manga.

"Nothing, Love, just Sayomi being a pain in the ass again," Kensei hissed as he continued to glare at the cat that was now curled up comfortably on his legs.

The wavy haired blond man stopped strumming at his guitar to look over at Kensei and then to the cat in his lap, "Oh, hello Sayomi," he said to the cat.

"Meow," was the cat's response as well as a slight flick of its long tail.

"Yeah, hey Sayomi long time no see," Love said to the cat.

Another meow followed the greeting.

"Sayomi's here," the green haired girl that had moments ago been rolling around on the ground asleep called happily.

"Eh, waz going on," the blond on the couch asked as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

"Shinji, Sayomi's here," the green haired girl said to him as she walked past him to where Kensei sat with the cat curled in his lap.

"You musta been dreamin', Mashiro, Sayomi hasn't been here in awhile," the blond haired Shinji replied as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and leaned against the back of the green couch.

Mashiro snatched the cat off of Kensei's lap and held it at arms length as she skipped over to Shinji.

"She's right here, see," Mashiro stated as she shoved a rather angry looking cat in Shinji's face.

There was a sharp hiss and a small growl before the cat lashed out and whacked the blond in the nose with it's paw.

"Ah," he screamed loudly as he clutched at his now bleeding nose, "Get that damn demon away from me!"

"That's not very nice, Shinji," Mashiro scolded as she dropped the cat from her grasp.

Landing on its feet, the cat shook itself off before walking back to Kensei, who was still glaring by the way. Jumping back into the man's lap, the cat once again settled itself into a ball, it's tail flitting up and down rhythmically.

"What the hell is she doin' here," the pig tailed blond asked angrily as she stood up from her spot beside the couch.

"Don't push your luck, Hiyori," the girl on the floor above called down, her face was still stuck behind her magazine.

"Shut up, Lisa," Hiyori shouted, "She can't just come waltzing back in here like nothing happened, she isn't wanted here, is she?"

When the blond girl got no response from anyone, she bristled and walked over to the table. She glared down at the cat that just ignored her and closed its eyes, continuing to flick its tail about in a soothing, rhythmic motion.

"What the hell do ya think yur doin' here, Sayomi," Hiyori spat at the cat.

The cat made no attempt at a response only continued to lay quietly as if asleep.

"I'm askin' ya a question ya stupid furball," Hiyori shouted.

"Hiyori," Shinji groaned from the couch.

"What the hell, Shinji, you can't just let her come back without knowing what the hell she wants from us," Hiyori shouted.

"Would you shut up," Kensei growled.

"Is everyone just gonna take her side-"

"No one's taking sides, Hiyori. Now calm down," Shinji said as he stood from the couch to approach the table as well.

As Shinji neared the table, the cat's blue eyes opened and watched him cautiously.

"What are ya doin' here, Sayomi," he asked the cat.

"I'm still apart of this group whether you like it or not, I don't need a reason, Shinji," the cat spoke as it locked its blue eyes with Shinji's pale brown ones.

"So you felt it too," he asked, scratching at his cheek.

"Yes," the cat replied with slight irritation.

"So you were scared, is that it Sayomi," Hiyori snorted.

Ignoring the blond girl's out burst, Sayomi stood up and walked onto the table top. She sat near the edge and looked up at Shinji.

"A Soul Reaper transferred her powers to a human and she is now in a gigai recovering. Apparently, she decided to attend school while she recovers here," Sayomi stated.

"Weren't you going to the human school too," Kensei asked.

"Yes, but seeing as how I really would rather not be so close to a Soul Reaper, I thought it would be best to put some distance between us," she replied.

"What about the human she transferred her powers to," Shinji asked.

"What about it," Sayomi replied.

"Do you know who it is," he asked, never taking his eyes off of Sayomi.

"No," she stated simply.

Shinji's eyes narrowed slightly, as did Kensei's but no one else seemed to be paying any attention.

"Like I said, you were scared," Hiyori mumbled.

Finally acknowledging the blond girl, Sayomi turned her head towards the girl and stared at her coldly.

"I am not afraid of anything, it was in our best interest I remain undetected. If you decide to persist in pestering me, I will not hesitate to claw your eyes out of that thick skull of yours," she said.

Shinji sighed and scratched at his head before sticking out an arm to keep Hiyori from attacking the white cat that was still regarding her coldly.

"Well it definitely won't be boring around here now, will it, Rose," Love said to the wavy haired man.

"I don't think so. Hopefully they won't destroy the place this time," Rose replied as he went back to strumming his guitar.

The only one who had remained silent was the large man against the far wall, his name was Hachigen Oshoda, and he was usually fairly quite and reserved.

Sayomi curled herself up in the center of the wooden table and began to watch as Rose strummed at his guitar.

Kensei who wasn't having any of it though, stood up quickly and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.

There was a surprised meow, which was then followed by a series of hisses and growls as Sayomi batted at Kensei's hand with her paws, claws out. This didn't do her any good however since he was wearing gloves and she couldn't get her claws through the fabric.

"Dammit Kensei, what the hell do you think you're doing! Put me down!" she growled.

"Shut up, Sayomi," Kensei said, his voice told her not to argue further and she went limp and allowed him to carry her from the building.

Once outside, Kensei sat down and leaned against the concrete building, setting a rather fluffy Sayomi beside him. In her anger her fur had stood on end and she looked rather comical, almost as if she had been blow dried while hanging upside down.

"Was that really necessary, Kensei," Sayomi snapped at him.

"Who is it," he asked her, well it was more like an order to tell him of face his temper.

"Who is who," Sayomi asked, playing clueless.

"The human the Soul Reaper gave her powers to," he asked.

"No idea," she answered turning her head away from him.

"Sayomi," Kensei said in a warning tone.

Sayomi shifted a little, even when she wasn't in the form of a cat, she was a little afraid of Kensei's temper, and she wasn't scared of anything.

"A high school student," she said, knowing he wanted more specific information, but trying to avoid having to give it to him.

"Ow, ow, ow," she whined when he once again grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and held her up to his face, but far enough so that she couldn't swat at him.

Sayomi couldn't look away from the golden eyes that were boring into her, and she squirmed in his grasp.

"Sayomi," he stated.

"Alright, alright put me down you big oaf," she said.

Kensei set her back down beside him and looked at her.

Sayomi sighed, "His name is Ichigo Kurosaki, he's a classmate of mine. I've always sensed that he had some sort of reiatsu but it wasn't all that noticeable until the other night, even then I didn't immediately realize it was him."

"Kurosaki, huh," Kensei asked.

"Yes, I'm worried for him. If the Soul Society finds out what this girl did by giving him her powers he could be killed for it. I don't know what's going on with the girl though, it's been about a week and she still doesn't seem to have regained any of her strength, I've been keeping an eye on her whenever I knew I could do it without risking her noticing me. If she doesn't return to Soul Society then we can safely assume that other Soul Reapers will be sent here to look for her."

"We'll just have to be a little more careful then," Kensei replied.

"You're angry at me, aren't you," Sayomi asked.

Kensei looked over at her and shook his head, "You've been gone for a long time Sayomi."

"I know, and I'm sorry. You knew where to find me though, and it's not like any of you ever bothered to come see me either," she said.

"That isn't the point, you walk back in as if nothing has changed. The last time you were here you nearly killed Hiyori. You can't act as if that never happened."

Sayomi snorted, which as a cat sounded like a strange mix of a growl and a purr.

"She deserved what she got," Sayomi said bitterly.

"Just control yourself this time, or I will step in, understand?"

"Yes, Kensei I understand. You're always so damn serious, lighten up will you," she teased.

"Coming from you that's actually kind of funny," he replied.

"Maybe, but at least my temper isn't as short as yours," she said.

"True, but at least I'm not just plain short," he retorted.

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm short. Just because I'm barely five feet tall doesn't mean anything," she replied indignantly.

"Whatever you say," Kensei remarked.

"That's right whatever I say," Sayomi replied in a huff and slight nod of her little white head.

"Whatever," Kensei sighed, "Let's go back inside, behave yourself."

"I'm not a child you know."

"Than stop acting like one."

"Says the guy who can't control his temper," Sayomi said under her breath.

There was a short silence before there was a loud yelp followed by a satisfied laugh.

"Bastard," Sayomi muttered after the boot clad foot was removed from her aching tail.

"Sorry didn't see you there," Kensei replied as he walked back into the warehouse.

Sayomi followed sulkily, she noticed Mashiro looking at her tail quizzically as was everyone else, but they all knew better than to say anything. Mashiro wasn't so subtle though, a look of confusion flew over her childlike features.

"If you say one word Mashiro I'll rip you to shreds," Sayomi hissed.

The girl than proceeded to have temper tantrum on the floor because Sayomi had been mean, of course though no one seemed to pay her any attention.

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Please review!


	3. Chapter 3 An Admission

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach I do however own a blue leather couch that is really annoying to sit on in the middle of the summer in the high desert.

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**Chapter 3**

**An Admission **

Sayomi, who was still posing as a cat, was busy trying to occupy herself by batting around a ball of black yarn on the floor of the warehouse. She was currently on her back and swatting the ball of yarn that was near her head.

"I think you've spent too much time in that form," Kensei said to her as he walked over to pick up the yarn she was playing with.

Sayomi meowed angrily at him and swiped at his hand.

"I'm a cat at the moment and cats are easily amused, if I switched back into human form, then I'd just pester you," Sayomi replied snottily.

Kensei glanced down at her, dropped the ball of yarn back onto the floor and walked off without another word.

"Ha, thought so," Sayomi gloated as he sat back down at the little table and she triumphantly chased after the yarn.

"Whose turn is it to get food today," Shinji called lazily from his usual position on the green couch.

"I think it's Kensei's," Lisa answered, as usual for the dark haired, glasses wearing girl, she was sitting against a wall with a perverted magazine held before her face.

"What about the fur ball," Hiyori shouted from a chair that was behind the green couch, she tossed the book she had been reading on the floor and stood up abruptly.

Sayomi turned her icy blue eyes on the blond girl and let her ball of yarn slowly spin away from her.

"What about me," she hissed.

"She hasn't gone to get food, if she's gonna be a part of the group again she could at least help out," Hiyori yelled.

The other seven people in the building all turned their eyes to the angry Hiyori. It was well known to them all that Hiyori and Sayomi didn't get along. They never had. That was the main reason Sayomi had left the ranks of the Vizard. It was becoming too troublesome for her to deal with the annoying girl, Sayomi was normally a patient person, but Hiyori constantly tested the limits of her patience. It proved to be a near fatal test for her, Sayomi had snapped and nearly killed the girl in a single move. She had stunned everyone, including herself, and had left not long after the confrontation.

That isn't to say she never visited or anything. She did, just not as frequently in the past several months.

"You really are dumb, aren't you," Sayomi replied to Hiyori's outburst.

Hiyori glared at Sayomi, her face turning a light shade of red.

"I'm a cat, dimwit. Cats don't buy food," Sayomi stated.

"You can transform," Hiyori shot back.

"Of course, because naked girls don't draw any attention at all," Sayomi replied sarcastically.

"Then wear clothes," Hiyori shouted.

"Hiyori, stop yur yelling would ya," Shinji yawned.

A distinct and loud slapping sound was heard as Hiyori slapped Shinji in the face with one of her sandals.

"I didn't bring any clothes. Cat, remember," Sayomi said as her tail flicked the air around her in annoyance.

"That's enough," Kensei shouted at the two. "I'll go get food. Sayomi you're coming with me. Give everyone here some peace and quiet for a little while."

"Then Hiyori should leave too," Shinji said.

Another smacking sound was heard as Hiyori's sandal once again made contact with Shinji's face. Shinji cried out in pain and fell onto the floor, clutching at his bleeding nose.

The large Hachi who was sitting alone off to the left of the group sighed, he knew he'd have to once again heal Shinji's broken nose.

Kensei stood up from the table and walked towards Sayomi. "Let's go," he said as he past her without a single glance.

Sayomi didn't say anything as she trotted after him, her tail swaying in the air pridefully, a cat's tail was their pride and joy after all.

"Don't tell me you're angry at me," Sayomi said to Kensei as they walked.

"You two have done nothing but bitch in the month and a half since you came back. It's annoying, and no one wants to hear it," Kensei replied.

"I don't exactly like fighting with her you know," Sayomi retorted.

"Then knock it off."

"It's not that simple."

"Why?"

"I don't even know anymore," Sayomi sighed. "We have never been able to get along. Hiyori lets her emotions control her actions and words and she says things out of jealousy and spite rather than for a logical reason."

"I remember you nearly killing her out of spite," Kensei said.

Sayomi scoffed and flicked her tail in annoyance.

"She had no right to bring up something that didn't involve her. I am already aware of the fact that even though I no longer share the same name as my brother, I still share the same blood as that traitor. I am also well aware that I am not a noble by birth but rather by adoption, something she takes pride in exploiting," she replied coldly.

"You miss the Soul Society don't you," Kensei asked.

Sayomi didn't answer him just kept walking beside him silently.

"The day you nearly killed Hiyori what really made you so angry Sayomi," Kensei asked her seriously.

Still she remained quiet, her blue eyes on the ground in front of her.

'_Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze said sadly to her.

'Don't,' Sayomi ordered back.

"I heard what she said," Kensei said.

Sayomi stopped walking abruptly and her tail fell from its prideful place in the air, her head tilted downwards so all that could be seen were the backs of her snowy white ears.

"Then you know why I snapped," Sayomi whispered, her voice was still cold, but calm as she spoke, "He was my fiance. It may have been true that he deserved someone far better, a true noble, but he didn't want that. He was a good man and she had no right to speak his name so freely and with so little respect. Our relationship wasn't her business."

"She should have been more respectful, especially of the dead, but you still shouldn't have tried to kill her."

"I know that Kensei, why do you think I left. I wanted to be left alone to my thoughts and come to terms with everything that happened. I don't miss Soul Society, I miss the idea of the life I would have had if things were different. Is that so wrong," Sayomi asked, the coldness was beginning to melt from her voice and it was now ripe with sadness and pain.

Kensei sighed, "Of course not. You lost more than most of us."

Sayomi said nothing more, she just started walking again, Kensei watched her for a moment before taking a few steps to walk beside her.

"My apartment isn't far I should really go and grab a few things," Sayomi said as they neared the more populated area of the town.

"Be back here in a half hour," Kensei said as he walked to the little store that was just across the street.

Sayomi made her way back to her apartment and managed to get in through the window over her bedroll by climbing the old dying tree that would constantly scratch at her one window when it was windy.

Once inside, Sayomi used her hind legs to push the collar she wore up and over her head, once the item was off she began to slowly change form. Her fur disappeared and her limbs elongated until she once again appeared to be a short teenage girl with long white hair.

Leaning over, she picked up the collar that had been around her neck and slipped it on to her thin wrist, tightening the ribbon so it wouldn't slide off. Walking to the single small dresser she owned she slipped on a pair of jeans and a white square neck corset top that had sleeves that went to her elbows and laced up the front with a light blue ribbon. Without looking at what she was doing Sayomi quickly brushed out her long hair before braiding it and twisting the braid into a bun which she secured with a few hair pins.

Grabbing a few other items, Sayomi neatly packed her things into her black book bag. She then slipped on a pair of white shoes and left her small home.

Walking back to the store she was to meet Kensei at there was a small shift in spirit pressures. Sayomi paused and looked up into the darkening sky.

'We need to get back to the warehouse,' she thought as she began to walk once again, only much quicker.

She made it to the store quickly and nearly collided with Kensei as he walked out with two bags full of groceries in his hands.

Immediately noticing the worry in her eyes he followed after her when she abruptly turned away and began to walk at a very fast pace towards the warehouse.

"What's wrong, Sayomi," he asked her urgently.

"Can't you feel it?"

Kensei was silent for a moment before he spoke, but now there was a hard edge to his voice, "Soul Reapers."

"Yes. Soul Reapers. Strong ones. And they're close, I doubt they're here for us but I still don't want them to sense us," she told him.

Sayomi kept her head raised and her eyes alert, but something was tugging at her insides. One of the spirit energies was familiar to her, but for some reason she couldn't place it and it bothered her. She felt as if she should be able to recognize the reiatsu, and it almost made her feel guilty when she wasn't able to.

'_Whoever owns that energy is masking it, maybe that is hindering your ability to fully recognize it_,' Fuyukaze told her.

Sayomi's brows drew together in thought as she thought over the possibility.

'No, I feel like I should still recognize it,' she replied. 'It shouldn't matter that it's being cloaked."

Kensei walked beside the thoughtful girl and kept casting glances down at her as they walked. He could tell something about the energies that had appeared was bothering her, but what he didn't know.

As they reached the hidden warehouse, Sayomi tried to shake off the strange feeling of recognition, but after taking a few steps inside she suddenly froze. Her eyes were wide with realization and she sucked in a quick breath and her face paled, she looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Sayomi, what the hell," Kensei cursed as he nearly collided with her back.

The black bag that she had slung over her shoulder dropped to the floor, a few of its contents spilling out.

"It can't be," she whispered.

"Earth to Sayomi," Mashiro sung as she waved an arm before the still girls face.

Shinji walked up and pushed Mashiro aside causing the green haired girl to have a small temper tantrum on the ground that no one paid attention to.

Kensei who had set down the bags also walked up to stand besides Shinji who was regarding Sayomi carefully.

"Sayomi," Shinji asked slowly.

The girl began to shake and she flexed her hands and fingers as if to make sure that they were still working.

"You," she uttered in a soft, but heated whisper. "You said he was dead," her voice had escalated from soft to an angry snarl.

Shinji backed up a step, but not before Sayomi took a step and had grabbed his throat and slammed him into a wall that was at least twenty feet behind him. He coughed as some of the broken rubble from the wall fell to the ground with a clatter.

There were shouts and cries of surprise as the others rose to find out what the commotion was.

Everyone gathered around the angry girl, but no one dared to draw their weapons against her. Especially not since she had her own drawn and pressed menacingly at Shinji's throat.

When Sayomi had stepped forward and grabbed Shinji, she had used her left hand and had held her right arm out so that her elbow was even with her shoulder and her hand was a few inches before her chest. The silver bracelet on her wrist jingled quietly as she uttered a single word. In the instant that she had spoken there was a small flash and a thin bladed katana of the purest, unadulterated steel was in her hand, its pure silver blade pressed firmly against Shinji's throat just above where her other hand held him.

Shinji's face was impassive as Sayomi glared at him, a storm of emotion roiling behind her pale blue orbs.

"Put the sword away," Shinji said calmly.

"Bastard," she hissed. "You lied."

"Yes."

Sayomi bristled at the admission and barred her teeth at him and let a low growl rumble out of the depths of her throat.

"Who else knew," she asked, the coldness and anger in her voice were so blatant that chills ran down the spines of everyone present.

When no one answered, Sayomi figured she had her answer and released Shinji. She pulled her katana from his throat, the silver blade glinting softly in the light that poured in through the dirty and broken window above the group. The sword had an elegant dark blue and silver hilt that led to the guard that was of the same pure steel as the blade, there were four pieces that protruded outwards and curved inwards before curling to create circular swirls.

Still looking at Shinji, Sayomi raised her left arm straight out to her side. There was a chilly wind as small shiny particles gathered in her hand to form a solid long object. The object was a sheath of the deepest blue, that matched the blue ribbon of the hilt of her katana. There were silver engravings on the smooth shiny surface of the sheath of swirling clouds, they resembled the design of the guard.

"Sayomi," the wavy haired blond man, Rose said quietly, soothingly.

Sayomi shook her head and ignored the looks on the faces of everyone. They were all, including Hiyori, looking at her with a mixture of pity and concern.

"Dumb ass, Shinji, you liar," Hiyori suddenly yelled, as she removed one of her sandals and proceeded to whack Shinji upside the head.

Sayomi snorted lightly before turning around and walking back towards the large door that lead outside she sheathed her zanpakuto as she walked, and held it in her right hand.

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted after her.

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Please review!


	4. Chapter 4 Return From the Dead

Disclaimer- I don't own Beach yet, but I'll let you know when hell freezes over and piggies start flying.

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**Chapter 4**

**Return From the Dead**

Without a single glance back, Sayomi picked up her fallen bag and left the building, disappearing in a flash of movement. In moments, she had maneuvered her way over the many buildings and roofs that were between her and the familiar reiatsu. Landing lightly on her toes and lowering herself on to her feet, Sayomi stood atop a cream colored brick fence that rose about five feet off the ground. The street she was on was dark and she was hidden from view by the thick shadows provided by a large tree that towered over the fence.

The scene before her made her gasp. She had been so focused on the one single reiatsu, she hadn't noticed that there were others there as well. Four others to be exact.

There was a body of a black haired boy lying on the ground a few feet from the scene that was playing out in the middle of a deserted and dark street.

"Uryu," Sayomi whispered, concerned for the person that lay on the ground.

She could tell even from her position that he wasn't in danger of dying. She looked up to see that Ichigo stood defiantly facing a tall red headed Soul Reaper, she knew he was a Soul Reaper by the black uniform he wore, who was holding a large sectioned sword, with fang like protrusions extending from each section.

She quickly took in the wound to Ichigo's right shoulder which was bleeding freely through the torn black fabric of the shinigami uniform he wore. Her eyes then wandered around the street before her and she noticed the black haired girl she had seen at the school almost two months before, she was standing helplessly a few feet behind the red haired Soul Reaper, watching the events with wide, worried eyes.

It wasn't any of those people though that nearly caused her to lose her balance on the brick wall. Standing a few feet to the left of the black haired girl was a man with long black haired in the standard Soul Reaper uniform, but with an exquisite pink tinted scarf wrapped around his neck and silver tubes in his hair. Kenseikan, they signified that he was nobility, and the head of his clan at that.

Sayomi hadn't drawn any attention to herself as she watched from about fifty feet away, she was used to repressing her reiatsu and was able to move as quietly and nimbly as a cat when she wanted to while in human form. She stood completely still, unsure of what to do, a part of her wanted to intervene on Ichigo's behalf, but she knew that Ichigo was prideful and wouldn't want any help from her. He also didn't know who she really was and she wasn't sure she wanted him to know, on top of that she would be revealing to Soul Reapers, people she hated, that she was alive and well and hiding out in Karakura Town.

'_You don't hate them all, Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze's quiet, breezy voice said quietly to her.

A pained look crossed her face for a moment, 'No I don't. He probably thinks I'm dead though, should I really reveal myself to him. I'm almost surprised he hasn't noticed me. He was always able to sense me, even when I was suppressing my reiatsu.'

_'It's been a long time, little hime_,' Fuyukaze replied using the nickname he used to call her when she was still in Soul Society.

Sayomi sighed inwardly and watched as Ichigo seemed to lose all his strength and fall to the ground after a nasty run in with the red head's sectional zanpakuto. Her eyes widened in surprise a few seconds later when reiatsu began to pour from the orange haired Ichigo and he stood back up with a smirk.

The red head charged at Ichigo but was thrown backwards as Ichigo sliced through the air with his over sized sword. There was a cracking noise as the sunglasses that had been on the red head's forehead cracked and slid off his face to the pavement below him. Blood poured from the cut to the man's head as he stared at Ichigo, who was preparing to attack again.

He never got the chance though as the blade of his sword seemed to suddenly disappear a few inches away from the guard.

Sayomi's eyes widened as the black haired nobleman dropped the sword's blade to the ground, it hadn't appeared even to her quick eyes that he had moved an inch. She had seen the brief flash of color from his scarf, but that had been it. The instant after the blade had clattered to the ground the man moved again. This time Sayomi's eyes followed every move he made, and he didn't make many.

"No," Sayomi whispered as she saw the glint of steel in the moonlight, there were two flashes and then the noble was standing stoically beside Ichigo.

The metallic and bitter smell of blood suddenly pervaded the air and engulfed Sayomi's senses as Ichigo slowly fell face first to the ground. The black haired girl shouted and ran towards the fallen Ichigo, but was pinned to a telephone post by the red haired Soul Reaper after taking only a few steps.

She didn't hear the words that were exchanged in the next few seconds, but she did see Ichigo's shaky hand rise up to grasp onto the hem of the black haired man's hakama. She saw the look of annoyance that crossed the man's face as he slowly began to raise a white gloved hand to the hilt of his sword that was at his side.

In that instant, Sayomi had made her decision.

A cool breeze that carried the scent of snow and something like pine and dirt swirled up a small amount of dust from the pavement as Sayomi landed in a crouch, one knee on the ground, the other near her chest. Her right hand was held out to her side, holding Ichigo's wrist that she had grabbed in order to remove his hand from the nobleman's hakama, the other hand was holding the sheath of her sword near the guard as she rested the item on her raised knee. Her head was bowed and her face hidden from view.

"Who the hell are you," the red head growled at her.

Sayomi remained silent and kept her head bowed.

There was a rustle of movement as the red head decided he was going to charge at her. Her moves were so quick and fluid that the red head was stunned when he found himself inexplicably pinned to the ground, the blade of a pure silver katana at his throat. His dark eyes looked in to the pale blue eyes of the girl who now stood over him, her face was a mask of coldness.

"Who are you, woman," the nobleman behind her demanded coldly.

"Have you forgotten me already," Sayomi asked calmly. "Byakuya Kuchiki."

Sayomi sheathed her sword and slowly turned around. Her blue eyes met the cold, steely gaze of the nobleman before her.

"Impossible," Byakuya scoffed.

"That's what I thought when I felt your reiatsu," she replied conversationally.

"You're supposed to be dead," Byakuya said.

"Yes, well, so are you," she replied.

"Captain, who is she," the red head asked.

"Sayomi Himura," Byakuya stated.

"The former captain and heiress to the old Himura clan," the red head asked, surprised. "I thought she was dead."

"It would seem that wasn't the case," Byakuya answered, his eyes had never once left the girl standing before him.

"But what is she-"

"Renji," Byakuya snapped coldly at the red head.

"Yes, captain," he replied as he stood up and turned around.

Sayomi heard him mutter a command and heard the sound of wooden screens sliding apart.

"I will leave the boy alive, for now. As for you, I would suggest returning to the dead," Byakuya said to Sayomi.

"So that's the only greeting I get from you after all these years," Sayomi asked.

"You are dead, and I have nothing further to say to you," Byakuya answered coldly.

Sayomi continued to stare at him defiantly, but a part of her broke and she felt as if she could cry, but she wouldn't. Not here, not after everything she had gone through. What should it matter to her anyway how this nobleman treated her, they had both thought the other to be dead. They had both moved on in their lives and there was no longer a connection between them that mattered.

The nobleman turned away from her and began to walk towards the open screen doors, the black haired girl following along after him.

Ichigo, who until then had been looking confusedly between her and Byakuya, looked up at the departing girl.

"Rukia, what are you doing," he asked.

The girl turned towards him, tears swimming in her purple eyes, "Don't move, Ichigo. Don't come after me, just lie there and live a little longer."

"Rukia, you can't be serious," Ichigo said.

"If you move an inch from there or try coming after me, I will never forgive you," the girl said before turning away and following after the two males who had already walked through the gate that lead to another world, a world Sayomi had left a long time ago.

Sayomi watched with a secret longing as the first set of doors began to slide shut, she saw the gray eyes of Byakuya look back at her briefly before the doors shut with a clack and began to disappear back into the dark night.

There were a few grunts from Ichigo as large raindrops began to fall from the sky, pattering onto the ground softly.

Sayomi walked back to Ichigo and knelt beside him with a sigh.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ichigo," she said quietly.

"Sayomi, how..."

"Don't worry about that right now," she told him.

The rain had began to fall heavier, and Sayomi was quickly becoming drenched in the downpour. There was a sudden break in the rain and Sayomi looked up to see that Kisuke Urahara stood over her and Ichigo, an umbrella in his hand, he smiled softly at her.

"I want to know what you had to do with this Kisuke," she said as she stood up.

"For now we should concentrate on helping your friends here," he replied.

"Where's Tessai," she asked.

"I'm over here," the large man replied as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Help Ichigo, I'll help Uryu," she said to the large man.

Tessai nodded and handed her a small box and an umbrella.

"Thanks," she said as she walked towards the dark haired boy that was now sitting up.

"Do you think she'll be alright," Tessai asked Kisuke quietly as he knelt down to examine Ichigo's wounds.

Kisuke sighed, and scratched at his head. "She's strong, she always has been. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Hey Uryu," Sayomi said as she approached the black haired boy.

Uryu looked up and was surprised to see Sayomi smiling kindly down at him. He pushed his glasses up on his nose to cover his surprise and cleared his throat.

"Sayomi, what are you doing here," he asked.

"I should ask you the same thing Uryu. You should have known they were too strong for you," Sayomi replied as she looked down at the cut to his side.

Uryu seemed speechless for a moment before he sighed. "I knew something was different about you."

Sayomi chuckled, it sounded sad though instead of amused, "I figured as much, but anyways let me see the wound."

"I'm fine," Uryu replied indignantly.

Sayomi sighed and sat down beside him, lifting his shirt to reveal a bleeding gash just below his ribs. Ignoring Uryu's attempts to get her to leave him alone and brush her off, she poked at the skin under the wound.

Uryu winced and hissed at the pain her antics had caused.

"You're fine, huh," she teased, as she set her zanpakuto beside her and opened the small box Tessai had given her.

"So are you a Soul Reaper then," Uryu asked.

"No," she answered, without looking up as she dabbed at the cut with a piece of gauze. "Now, hold still, I haven't done this in a while."

Sayomi placed her palm before the cut and a green glow emitted from her hands and flowed into the wound, which began to slowly knit itself back together. The wound was mostly closed when she lowered her hand, a bright red line was now the only sign of the wound that had been there.

"Let me wrap it, and then just be careful not to reopen it," she said as she reached into the small box beside her for a roll of white bandages.

Uryu stuttered out a denial and quickly stood up, smoothing out his shirt as he did so.

Sayomi looked up and noticed he was bright red, she quirked a brow at him.

"No, I'm fine thank you," he said to her.

"Ok, but don't whine to me if you reopen it and wind up bleeding to death," Sayomi replied with a shrug.

"So who are you, really," Uryu asked her.

Sayomi sighed and looked down at her hands. "I am Sayomi Himura, daughter of Hiroshi and Mai Himura."

"You know what I mean, were you a Soul Reaper," Uryu asked.

"I hate Soul Reapers," Sayomi answered quietly. "They fear too easily, that which they do not understand."

Uryu stared down at her in confusion, but also in understanding, he understood what she meant by her words, but didn't know how the words applied to her.

"So then what are you?"

"I am.... nothing. I am dead to everyone who ever cared about me, and I have no friends in this world or any other for that matter," she said quietly.

"You're wrong," Uryu said to her.

Sayomi looked up at him, surprised.

"I'm your friend," he said to her.

Sayomi smiled. "Thank you, Uryu. One day I'll tell you my story, but not now."

"Whenever you're ready then," he said to her.

Her and Uryu had become relatively good friends in the few years since Sayomi had begun to attend the school in Karakura town. They were both fairly quite, reserved and didn't particularly like the company of others, and somehow they had managed to become friends because of that. They would always wind up eating together and studying together, neither one minding the others silence. Of course Sayomi was also friends with Ichigo and a few of the other students but she tended to prefer Uryu's company to the others, they would all eat together or hang out every now and then but not frequently.

"I see Sayomi patched you up pretty well," Kisuke said cheerily from behind Uryu.

Uryu turned to look at the blond, whose eyes as usual were hidden under the brim of his green and white bucket hat.

"Yeah, she did. I'm going to be going home now. Take care of Ichigo, because it's obvious that if anyone's going to be able to save Rukia, it's him and not me," Uryu replied as he turned, pushing his glasses up in his nose.

Sayomi frowned. "Rukia was the girl with Byakuya right?"

Kisuke nodded. "Yes, she's his sister."

"His sister, but that's not possible," Sayomi said.

"Umm, well...."

"Kisuke, tell me whatever it is that you're not saying," Sayomi ordered coldly.

"Well, you see she's his sister.... in...law," Kisuke replied awkwardly.

Sayomi gasped and her eyes widened. She swallowed and stood up from the ground quickly, grabbing her sword as she did so.

"I see. Excuse me," she muttered before turning and beginning to walk away from everyone, picking up the black bag she had left under the tree when she had jumped to help Ichigo.

Uryu watched her back in confusion as she left.

"I wonder what she plans on doing, I know she won't go home and she won't return to her friends. Poor thing has no where to go," Kisuke said from beside Uryu.

"I suppose you're trying to tell me to go after her," he asked.

"Of course not, why would I tell you to go after a sad, lonely, depressed, homeless-"

"I get it," Uryu replied. "I'm going."

"Bye," Kisuke sang as Uryu walked off.

"Sayomi," Uryu called quietly as he walked up beside the white haired girl.

She appeared not to have heard him as she continued walking in silence, her head bowed and her sword clutched in her right hand.

"Sayomi," he called again.

"Hmm," she hummed as she looked up at him, her eyes were unfocused and glazed over.

"Come on," he sighed, as he grabbed the girl by her elbow and turned her to their right.

Sayomi allowed him to lead her away, she didn't really see anything as they walked only blurry images of trees and buildings.

Uryu stopped suddenly and she blinked realizing that they were standing in front of a plain white door.

She watched as Uryu reached into his pocket for something that he then used to unlock the door and push it open. He walked in and she followed after him numbly. She stopped when she had entered what was a neat and clean small living room. To her right there seemed to be a door that lead to a kitchen and to her left was a couch, a wooden coffee table, and a stand with a small television on it.

"Let me get you a towel," Uryu said as she stood there glancing at her surroundings but not really seeing anything.

Uryu disappeared through a door that was on the opposite side of the room from the kitchen and reemerged a moment later with a towel in his hands which he handed to Sayomi.

Sayomi stared at the towel for a moment before she raised her right hand and stared at the sword that was still clutched in her hand. There was a flurry of cool air as the sword in her hand seemed to disintegrate in a shower of silver and blue, the silver and blue circled her wrist, reforming the silver and blue bracelet that she always wore.

Uryu remained silent after the display and just continued to hold the towel out to her. When she finally took the towel in her hands, he pointed to the door he had walked through to get the towel.

"The bathroom is just inside there to the right," he told her.

She nodded and slowly made her way to where he had instructed her. When she reached the bathroom, she looked into the small mirror that was over the sink. Her eyes were unfocused, and her skin had paled more than was normal. Water dripped from her wet hair and her clothes were fairly wet from the recent rain as well. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sayomi set the towel on the counter by the sink, and put her bag down on the floor. She took a step towards the shower and turned on the hot water, and slowly undressed and stepped into the hot stream, letting it wash away the coldness that had taken residence in her bones. After a few minutes she turned the water off and reached for the towel she had been given. After drying herself off and squeezing most of the water from her hair Sayomi opened her bag and pulled out the only dry items she could find. A pair of light colored jeans and a white tank top that had a black haired fairy dressed in bright pink sitting on the leaf of a blooming black rose.

Gathering up her wet clothes and her bag, Sayomi exited the bathroom. Uryu was sitting on his blue couch, a pot of hot tea before him on the coffee table and two cups set on either side of the pot.

"Sorry I hope you don't mind that I showered, I wasn't really thinking about it," Sayomi said to Uryu, her voice was quite and there was no emotion in it what so ever.

"Don't worry about it," he replied.

"I should go, I don't want to be a burden," she said as she made to walk towards the door.

"And where do you plan on going," Uryu asked.

Sayomi froze, he had a point. She wouldn't go home, she knew that it was likely Kensei or someone else was already there waiting for her. She also had no intention of going back to the warehouse to face Shinji, she was afraid she might kill him if she saw him then.

"That's what I thought. Now sit down and have some tea," Uryu said as if he were talking to a small child.

Sighing, Sayomi turned around walked to the couch she set her bag to the side and sat down on the opposite end from Uryu.

They sat in silence as they sipped at the warm green tea that Uryu had prepared. Sayomi suddenly felt drained and extremely tired. She set the small cup down on the coffee table and sighed. Leaning her head back on Uryu's couch she rubbed absently at her eyes. Before she even realized it she had fallen asleep.

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Please review!


	5. Chapter 5 Many Meetings

Disclaimer- Since there are still no flying unidentified pigs it should be obvious. I don't own Bleach.

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**Chapter 5**

**Many Meetings**

There were people everywhere in the lively house. Tables had been erected and piled with all types of delicious and exotic food. Servants dressed in dark blue kimonos wandered through the crowd with trays of wines and an assortment of other drinks. The guests were dressed in lavish, colorful kimonos, and the women had their hair done up extravagantly.

Off to the left of the room, near the doorway leading into the brightly decorated space stood three people. Two were adults, a man and woman. They looked to be middle aged with graying hair, and a few wrinkles on their smiling faces. The woman had her graying brown hair pulled up into a neat, but simple bun that was secured with two chopsticks that had little black feathers dancing around them. She wore a simple yet elegant kimono in a pale shade of blue that was decorated with white and lavender lilies, and tied with a silver and white obi. The man wore a simple black uniform, with a white haori over it, signifying his position as a captain in the Gotei thirteen.

Between the two smiling hosts, stood a short girl of about fifteen years old with white hair and striking pale blue eyes. Her hair was twisted up at the nape of her neck in a sort of eight shape and secured with hidden pins. Her kimono was a midnight blue with a few scattered colorful flowers, that made her eyes even more noticeable in her pale face.

The girl was smiling and bowing as people entered the room, she looked regal in her elegant kimono, but it was obvious to those who were observant, that the girl wasn't very comfortable around the multitude of fancy, over dressed nobles.

Among the last guests to arrive was another captain of the Gotei thirteen, he was also the current head of the Kuchiki clan, Ginrei Kuchiki. The tall nobleman had arrived and had brought his grandson, Byakuya Kuchiki, along with him.

The girl smiled and greeted the two politely. She had met Ginrei Kuchiki before, after all he was a captain just like her father was, but she had never met his grandson. The boy looked to be her age if not a year or two older. He had long black hair and gray eyes that seemed to be bored with his current surroundings.

"Sayomi why don't you show Byakuya to the tables, we'll be starting dinner in a few minutes," her mother said to her with a kind smile.

"Of course," Sayomi replied.

She turned to face the uninterested Kuchiki heir and smiled at him, he raised a brow at her but didn't say anything as she stepped towards him.

"The tables are just outside Kuchiki-sama," Sayomi said to him.

With a slight dismissive nod, the boy followed beside Sayomi silently, barely bothering to register her presence as he looked out into the sea of people.

A little put off by his cold behavior, Sayomi remained quiet as she lead the nobleman outside into a well lit garden. Paper lanterns hung above the elaborately decorated tables, shining an array of colorful glowing rings across the area.

She led him towards the head of the table and gestured to two seats with a pale, small hand.

"Your grandfather and yourself are guests of honor, and it would please my family and I if you would sit here, close to us," Sayomi said to the boy. She felt a little awkward since he hadn't spoken a single word and just regarded her as if he thought she was going to attack him.

"Kuchiki-sama, did I displease you," Sayomi asked.

The Kuchiki looked up, a little confused by her question, but didn't let it show, he just stared at her with his gray eyes.

"Do you even talk," Sayomi asked, getting a little annoyed and not caring that she was no longer being polite, but rather rude.

"Of course I talk," he retorted snobbishly.

"Hm, I was beginning to think you were incapable of doing anything but stare," Sayomi replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hn."

"That's not a word you know. Would it really kill you to speak," Sayomi asked sarcastically.

"Why should I talk to the likes of you?"

"Because like it or not this party isn't about you, you stuck up ass," Sayomi said, her brows drawn together in her anger.

Byakuya seemed to not expect this from her, she had seemed so pliant and well mannered moments before and most of the other girls he had come in contact with had never once insulted him. They had always given ridiculous amounts of praise and plenty of fake smiles.

"What," Sayomi snapped at him, when he just continued to stare at her silently.

"No one's ever spoken to me like that," he admitted a bit reluctantly.

"Really, well that's what you get for being an ass," Sayomi huffed before brushing passed him and walking into the gardens.

'Jeez, what a stuck up little brat. He's the type of person I can't stand. Typical noble children, think they have it all and are better than everyone else,' Sayomi thought angrily as she plopped herself rather gracelessly down onto a stone bench that looked out over a large koi pond.

'_You're a noble too, are you not_,' a voice asked. It was clearly male, soft and crisp with a trace of coldness to it.

"Who's there," Sayomi asked, as she looked around herself.

There was a sigh that made her feel as if she was listening to the breeze of a winter snow storm blowing through the mountains.

'_You finally hear me, and you don't even know it_,' the voice replied.

'What the hell is going on,' Sayomi thought as she continued to look around for the owner of the voice.

'_Such language from one so small. It's really not fitting, Sayomi-sama_,' the voice said.

Sayomi's eyes widened. 'Are you in my head?'

'_Not exactly, but close. I'm in your soul_.'

'Ehh!!! What are doing in there, get out,' Sayomi ordered the voice.

'_Sorry Sayomi-sama, but that isn't how this works_,' the voice replied.

"Am I crazy," she asked aloud suddenly.

'_No_.'

"You sure, because I'm hearing voices for crying out loud."

'_No, you aren't. You're only hearing one voice, and it's mine so it doesn't really count_.'

"Eh... how does it not count," Sayomi asked thoroughly confused by the explanation as she cocked her head to the side and squinted her eyes.

'_I'm the spiritual manifestation of your energy, and if_-'

"You're what?"

'_It's rude to interrupt_.'

"Um, sorry," Sayomi said slowly.

'_Now as I was saying. I am the spiritual manifestation of your powers. I reside in your soul, but if you're __strong enough, you can manifest me in the same world that you currently live in. Of course I won't take on a human form outside of the realm in your soul, but_-'

"I'm insane," Sayomi stated. "Absolutely insane."

'_You're interrupting again_,' the voice chided monotonously.

"So I'm interrupting a voice that's talking nonsense in my head, big deal," Sayomi retorted with a snort.

"Sayomi, what are you doing out here," someone asked.

Turning around, Sayomi looked up to see her father standing over her.

"Talking to the voice in my head that's talking nonsense," she told him with a small shrug.

"I see. I thought that might happen one day," he replied.

"So you knew I was going to go insane," she asked, her eyes wide.

Hiroshi laughed at her, she frowned, not seeing what was funny about her current situation.

"You're not going insane dear, but we'll talk about that later, we have a dinner to get to," he said to her.

"Yes father," she said as she stood up to walk behind him as they returned to the tables.

She glanced at the Kuchiki heir she had snapped at earlier to see that he was watching her with mild interest, his eyes carefully studying her as she moved. Turning her head forward again, she decided to ignore him for the remainder of the evening.

Luckily for her, it wasn't very hard, after dinner almost every female in their age range was huddled around him, giggling and smiling like idiots. Sayomi rolled her eyes at their antics, it was quite obvious to her that Byakuya wasn't enjoying the attention, at least not that he was showing.

"You know my grandson is quite used to having the girls flock to him. However, I don't think he really cares for their wiles."

Sayomi looked to her right to see that Ginrei Kuchiki was standing beside her, she bowed slightly and smiled at him.

"Why is it Sayomi, that you do not join the other girls," Ginrei asked.

She tried not to snort, but wound up making a slight muffled grunt anyways.

"I don't find your grandson's charm to be as intoxicating as the others do. Please don't think of me as rude in saying that though," Sayomi said quickly, after she realized just what she had said.

The old man laughed lightly at her, before patting her on the shoulder, "I think the two of you would get along quite well if you actually tried talking to one another. Now why don't you go and rescue him from those girls before they devour him, after all this gathering is to celebrate your birthday, and they can't object if you steal my poor, defenseless grandson away from them for a dance."

"But there's no dancing," Sayomi replied, before regretting it when the older man looked up and nodded his head towards a man on the opposite side of the room.

A moment later the soft sounds of music began to drift through the air.

Sayomi sighed, defeated.

"Go on dear before one of the others beat you to it," Ginrei said as he lightly pushed her forward.

'Stupid, meddling old man, and to think he used to be against my adoption in to the Himura family,' Sayomi thought as she walked towards Byakuya.

She made her way through the gaggle of giggling girls and found herself staring into the surprised eyes of the Kuchiki. The area around them had gone quiet, as the girls that had swarmed around him became silent as they waited to see what Sayomi was going to do.

Sayomi raised a pale brow at Byakuya, who was looking at her curiously. She raised her hand to him, and he finally seemed to catch on that she was trying to help him, but it would be rather forward of her to ask him to dance.

"Would you like to dance," he asked her.

"It would be a pleasure," she replied, playing the role of the demure and shy noble.

He grabbed her hand and practically ripped her arm off as he led her through the crowd of stunned girls.

"Why did you do that," he asked as they danced.

Sayomi rolled her eyes, "Your grandfather likes to meddle and thinks we would get along well."

"I see. So you don't wish to dance with me," he asked her, he almost sounded disappointed.

"I didn't say that," she replied quickly, before inwardly slapping herself for saying it.

"So you do want to dance with me then," he asked.

"Just dance would you," Sayomi said to him, flustered with the entire situation.

They continued to move through the steps of the dance silently and only occasionally looking at each other.

As the music came to an end, Sayomi stood facing Byakuya, she bowed to him politely but didn't thank him, instead she walked off and disappeared through the door that led back into the gardens.

She wandered the familiar and fragrant pathways that were lined with different types of plants until she once again came to the same koi pond she had been staring into earlier in the night.

Taking her seat on the stone bench once again Sayomi watched as the brightly colored fish swam around in the shallow pond.

'_What's wrong_,' the same voice from earlier asked her.

"Nothing," she answered.

'_I know you're lying, what's on your mind little hime_?'

"Little hime," Sayomi asked.

'_Yes, you're the little princess of your clan_.'

'They aren't my clan,' Sayomi thought sadly.

'_Maybe not by blood, but they accept you as such, and others are following suit as well_,' the voice said reassuringly.

Sayomi sighed.

'_Now what is really bothering you Sayomi-hime?_'

"Now it's Sayomi-hime, how many different ways are you going to address me," she grumbled.

There was a soft, light, and airy chuckle in response. '_As many ways as possible. Now tell me what is wrong_.'

"I hate parties," she stated, "I hate the people and their idiotic need to be better than everyone else. I just want to sit under a tree and read and be left alone. Instead I have to pretend to be something I'm not, and they all know it."

"Who are you talking to," someone asked.

Sayomi jumped from her seat and spun around to see Byakuya looking at her with curious gray eyes.

"None of your business, now if you don't mind I'd like to finish my conversation," Sayomi snapped, at him, she hadn't actually meant to snap at him, but he had startled her and it made her angry for no real reason.

Byakuya raised an elegant black brow at her, he didn't like being dismissed by her, by anyone actually.

"You can't order me around, I'm staying here," he answered her.

"You're all the same," Sayomi blurted out.

"What do you mean," Byakuya asked her coolly.

"Never mind, just leave me alone would you please," she asked.

"No."

"And why not," she asked.

"Why are you angry with me?"

"Because you're annoying," she shot back.

"And you're not," he answered.

"You just have to be better than everyone, don't you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters, I may not be worth your time, or anyone else's for that matter, but you don't have any right to judge me," she snapped.

"What are you doing then," he asked.

She seemed confused by his question and looked at him oddly.

"What do you mean," she asked.

"Aren't you judging me?"

"No, I'm making an observation," she replied quickly, defensively.

"An observation based on what?"

"Based on the fact that you didn't even bother talking to me until I was forced to rescue you from the horde of man eating girls and now you're out here to what, pick on me, belittle me?"

"No one forced you to dance with me, _you_ chose to do that. As for my reasons for being out here, I merely wished to thank you," he stated.

Sayomi stared at him for a moment before tweaking a brow at him, "Huh?"

"I wished to thank you for the dance and for allowing me to get away from the horde of man eating girls as you call them," he answered a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Ok," she said.

"Ok," he repeated.

"Yes, that's what I said. Ok. Are you going deaf now that you've learned how to speak," she asked, the hint of a smile tugging at own her lips.

"I believe it's from having to listen to the constant whining of the man eating hordes," Byakuya replied.

Sayomi laughed lightly, it was like the sound of small tinkling bells that was carried on the wind.

"You never answered my question, who were you talking to," Byakuya asked her.

"Uh, well," she began unsure just what to say.

'What's your name,' she asked in her head, knowing full well that the voice would hear her question.

'_You aren't ready to hear it yet, Sayomi-sama_,' he replied.

"I have no idea," she finally answered.

"You were speaking aloud but you don't know to whom," Byakuya asked her.

"He says I'm not ready to hear his name," she answered.

"I see, so you were conversing with the spirit of your zanpakuto," he asked.

"My what," she had no idea what he was talking about, "zanpakuto are swords, why would they talk?"

"You really don't know anything about the zanpakuto spirits," he asked her, he sounded like he didn't believe such a thing was possible.

"No," she replied a little offended. "I haven't exactly gotten out much you know."

"Of course, you are a woman after all," he stated.

Sayomi, without thinking, smacked the black haired noble on the shoulder. He seemed rather surprised by this and turned to see a very angry looking Sayomi glaring at him.

"Men," she spat before walking off in a huff.

"How is it I always seem to make her angry without doing anything," he asked himself.

"Byakuya, there you are," Hiroshi said as he walked about to the boy, "Have you seen my daughter, I was hoping to talk with her."

"She went off that way," he answered nodding towards the path that Sayomi had taken.

"Did you make her angry," Hiroshi asked, "She never goes that way unless she's angry. I'll talk with her later I suppose, she's a bit frightening when she's angry."

Sayomi walked down the path that led to a large rectangular clearing, in the center of the clearing stood a large three tiered fountain. Walking towards the fountain, Sayomi sat down with her back against the cool marble, and closed her eyes. She listened to the splashes and bubbling of the fountain and the sound of the wind as it blew through the grassy clearing.

'So why is it I'm not ready to hear your name,' Sayomi asked the voice.

'_At the moment it's because you're too angry_,' the voice answered.

'Are you saying I shouldn't be,?'

'_All I'm saying is that you need to relax and focus_,' he said.

Sayomi sighed and began to try relaxing herself. She focused on the sound of the wind that was softly rustling the leaves of the nearby trees, blocking everything else out of her mind. Time seemed to slow down around her as a vision began to come into focus behind her closed eyelids.

At first she couldn't see anything but she could feel a cold wind blowing around her and felt her hair as it blew around her face and shoulders and tossing the loose fabric of her kimono around her small frame.

"_Open your eyes, Sayomi_," the voice said to her, it sounded as if it where right in front of her.

Sayomi did as she was instructed and opened her eyes. Standing before her was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and was sure she ever would see. He was just under six feet tall and had white hair just like hers, it fell to his shoulders in a straight stream of white, it was parted so that some of his hair was brushed over his right eye. His eyes were the deepest shade of blue, quite similar to the color of her kimono actually, and she was pretty sure that if she continued to gaze into their depths she would be lost forever in their mystery. He wore a white shirt and dark blue hakama that were tied with a dark blue obi. On his right wrist Sayomi noticed that he wore a bracelet, it was a link bracelet with a dark blue ribbon through it that tied neatly around his wrist. It would have seemed feminine on any other man, but not on him, it looked like it belonged there, almost as if if he took it off then something just wouldn't seem right about the man.

"Who are you," she asked in utter astonishment.

He smiled at her and his pale face brightened, "_I still don't think you're ready for that_."

"Where am I then," she asked as she looked around for the first time.

If the man before her was the most beautiful man, then the space around her was the most beautiful area she had ever seen.

She was surrounded by nothing but a pale blue sky that was just a little darker than her eyes. Below her was a snow covered mountain range, the wind, though invisible, was easily seen as the clouds and fog shifted and swirled in silvery white displays of its sheer force. It was then that she noticed what she was standing on, there was a strange white cloud that swirled beneath her feet, it was mostly transparent and the feeling left her a little nervous.

"_You're safe, no need to worry_," the man said to her.

"I don't understand, why am I here," she asked.

"_You're here so that we can get to know one another, we are partners now, and I will never leave your side_," he replied.

Sayomi frowned, "Are you a zanpakuto like the Kuchiki had said?"

"_I am_."

"But I don't understand, I have only seen zanpakuto as swords, not as actual people."

"_A zanpakuto is part of its master's spiritual energy. It is the physical manifestation of that power. This is how I appear in your inner world, you will have to bring me into the outside world on your own. Then you must learn my name_," the man told her.

"Why can't you just tell me your name," she asked.

"_It's not that simple. You will have to learn to trust me and know that I will always help you as long as you need me_," he answered.

"So how exactly do I bring you into the outside world?"

A soft smile curved the mans lips upwards. He stepped towards her and placed something in her hands. When she looked down she saw that it was a bracelet identical to the one he wore on his right wrist.

"A bracelet, I don't understand," she said as she looked up at him.

"_You will in time, but I think someone is looking for you. It's time for you to go_," he said to her.

"I'll see you again though, right," she asked.

"_Of course, whenever you wish it_," he replied before disappearing in a fierce gust of icy wind.

Sayomi shivered as the wind circled her and was confused when the rushing sound of the wind was replaced by the sound of splashing water.

She blinked her eyes open and realized she was once again sitting against the marble fountain, and the strange, beautiful man was gone.

A sound of metal tinkling quietly drew her attention to her hands. Cupped in her hands was the silver bracelet with the blue ribbon. She stared at the object for awhile, not really sure what to do with it, and afraid that if she moved it might disappear.

The sound of footsteps snapped her back to reality and she looked up to see that Byakuya had followed her to the clearing.

She didn't say anything as he approached her silently and took the bracelet from her hands, she watched as he tied it securely to her right wrist before he backed up and offered her a hand to help her stand up.

Taking the offered hand, she felt herself get pulled up off the cold ground. Neither one said anything as they made their way back to the main house. They hadn't noticed until they returned to the house that they were still holding hands, they wouldn't have either if Sayomi hadn't heard the angry whispers of a few girls as they passed them.

Looking down, she realized her hand was indeed still in his, and she quickly withdrew it.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, turning a soft shade of pink.

"Don't be," Byakuya replied, he seemed a little surprised at his own words but didn't try to change them in any way.

"Thank you," Sayomi said to him, with a smile.

"For what," he asked.

"I guess for not being like the rest of them," she answered. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should really find my mother and father."

After a quick bow Sayomi was gone, leaving a confused Byakuya staring after.

'_She's one strange woman_,' a voice said in his head.

'Yes, she is Senbonzakura,' he answered.

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Please review!


	6. Chapter 6 Lessons

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

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**Chapter 6**

**Lessons**

Sayomi blinked her pale blue eyes open and rubbed at her temples with her thin fingers.

'Another dream, I seem to be having a lot of dreams about my past lately,' she thought sadly.

Blinking again, she looked from side to side without moving her head and a curious look found its way to her face as she raised one of her snowy eyebrows in bewilderment.

"Where am I," she slowly asked aloud.

'_You're at the Quincy boy's house_,' Fuyukaze replied in his cool, airy voice.

"Ooohhh," Sayomi drawled. "Uh, why?"

'_You really don't remember, Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze asked sounding a little concerned for her mental health.

"Oh, that's right. Shinji's a lying ass, Byakuya's alive, and Ichigo...." Sayomi sighed and trailed off as she ran a hand through her long white hair.

She slid out of the bed that she guessed Uryu had placed her in the night before and walked to the door that led into the living room. She was a little surprised to see that he wasn't there, there was a folded up blanket and a pillow on the couch but no Uryu.

"He must have gone to class," Sayomi said as she looked around the empty room, glancing at a clock that was on the wall that read that it was a little after eleven in the morning.

Sayomi sighed and walked over to Uryu's couch and plopped down on it before resting her elbows on her knees and putting her head in her hands.

'_What are you going to do?_' Fuyukaze asked her.

"I don't know Fuyu, I'm not going back to the warehouse. I'll most likely kill Shinji if I do. The fool lied to me," Sayomi answered her voice rising angrily at the end.

'_I'm sure he had his reasons_,' Fuyukaze told her simply.

'And I'm sure I know them,' Sayomi answered dully, reverting to thinking instead of speaking aloud, 'He was trying to protect me. To protect Byakuya even. A part of me can understand, but a part of me just can't forgive him for this.'

Sayomi stood from the couch and went to retrieve her bag that was leaning against the bed in the other room.

'_Where are we going_,' Fuyukaze asked.

'Home, and then to Urahara's. I don't trust him with Ichigo,' Sayomi answered as she flung the bag over her shoulder and left the small apartment.

When she reached home she took her time in cleaning herself up and even eating a small lunch before undressing and slipping her bracelet off her wrist before slowly beginning to change form until she was once again in the form of a small white cat. Carefully sliding the bracelet onto her neck, Sayomi leapt from the ground to her windowsill before leaping into the branches of the old knobby tree outside and snaking her way down its brittle bark. It was now mid-afternoon and the shadows were growing longer as Sayomi ambled towards the Urahara Shoten.

"You know you really shouldn't sneak around like that Yoruichi," Sayomi called as she sat herself down on a brick wall not far from Urahara's shop.

A blur of black to her left caught her eye and Sayomi turned just in time to see gold feline eyes before she was knocked over onto her back.

"Ow! What the hell, Yoruichi," Sayomi growled as she looked up at a black cat that was standing over her, smirking triumphantly.

"What's with the reflexes? You haven't gotten soft on me, have you," the cat asked in a distinctly male voice.

"No, now get off me," Sayomi growled as she batted at the other cat's head.

"Now, now. Is that anyway to treat your beloved mentor?"

Sayomi snorted. "Beloved, huh? I think you had too much catnip, Yoruichi."

"Oh, you're no fun," Yoruichi said as she leapt away from Sayomi.

"You got dirt in my fur," Sayomi complained haughtily as she turned her head to look at her dirty back.

"Such a spoil sport," Yoruichi sighed.

"Yeah, whatever," Sayomi grumbled.

"So what are you doing, heading over to Urahara's," Yoruichi asked.

"I don't trust him with Ichigo," Sayomi replied.

"Ah, he'll be fine, Urahara's not that bad," Yoruichi said.

"Not bad? I almost got stuck being a cat forever because of his stupid experiments," Sayomi shot back.

"Such a _short_ temper."

"I'm short, I know, can we drop it," Sayomi snapped.

"For now. You should get going, I believe Urahara was about to start training Ichigo."

"He what?!"

"What? He's mostly healed," Yoruichi replied disinterestedly.

"I'm gonna strangle that candy selling baka with a licorice rope," Sayomi muttered darkly as she darted off towards the Urahara Shoten.

She made it to the little shop quickly and leapt into the open kitchen window before running to the trap door that she knew was through the doorway and to the left.

When she got to the the door in the floor it was open and a shaft of light was shining upwards through it. She poked her head over the side in time to see Tessai raising a very large ax that he was preparing to bring down on a chain that connected an unconscious Ichigo to a very conscious, but very clueless Ichigo's soul. Three other people were in the large desert like room as well. Urahara and two children Jinta and Ururu who helped at the shop. Jinta was a red headed boy with a fiery temper, while Ururu was a little girl with black hair that she wore in pig tails and seemed to be very meek.

"Dammit," she growled as she darted into the door and ran down the wall just as the ax came down on the chain.

"Ow,ow, ow, ooooowwww," Urahara suddenly cried as he clutched at his nose, blood seeping out from between his fingers.

"What do you think you're doing, Urahara," Sayomi yelled from the ground below the blond shop keeper. She was standing on all fours, her tail low and her ears pressed against her head.

"Did that cat just talk," Ichigo's soul asked as he looked at the white cat with wide eyes while pointing a finger at her.

"Huh," Sayomi said as she turned to look at a very confused orange haired boy, she blinked a few times before replying with a simple, "Meeeowww."

"We'll talk about it later," Urahara said down to the angry feline before turning to face the four people, well three people and Ichigo's soul, with a huge grin on his face.

"W-w-wait a sec I needed that chain! I'm gonna die!!" Ichigo shouted frantically.

"He's just now noticing," Sayomi sighed quietly.

"Sheesh, you're so noisy," Urahara commented as he stuck a finger in his ear, twisted it and looked over at Ichigo.

"Oh I'll give you a reason to be noisy," Ichigo retorted loudly. "The chain you jerks severed was the Chain of Fate! If it gets cut, the soul can't go back to it's body."

"Well of course, I already _knew_ that," Urahara replied calmly as he stared at Ichigo who made to charge at him.

Sayomi stepped aside but it turned out there was no need when Tessai suddenly sat on Ichigo before he could go far.

"You knew, but you still cut it!" Ichigo was shouting as he flailed around beneath Tessai who had crossed his arms over his chest as he sat on Ichigo's back looking rather bored as the teen beneath him struggled to stand and get the large man off of himself.

"That's right, since your Chain of Fate is now severed, you can't return to your body Ichigo," Urahara said as he flipped his fan open to cover part of his face, "All you have left now... is death."

Sayomi mentally rolled her eyes at the blond shop keeper and had to resist a very strong urge to bite at his ankles. 'I'm gonna kill him with his own geta, ha! death by geta that should be interesting.'

"If you're thinking of trying to kill me with my sandals, I'd like to know how you plan on doing it in your feline form," Urahara said from behind his fan as Ichigo ranted incoherently, but quite animatedly at him.

"Who said I'd be in feline form," Sayomi retorted.

"Oh, but you have no clothes," he replied feigning shock and blushing. "That would be a beautiful-"

"Urahara," Sayomi growled.

"What," he asked innocently.

"Would you get on with it before he turns into a hollow already," Sayomi hissed.

"Huh, oh right," he said as he turned his attention back to the raving Ichigo that was still flailing around beneath Tessai, "As I was saying," he continued loudly. "The corrosion of the chain has already begun from the severed end, if that reaches all the way to your chest," here his voice changed and became overly happy and a large grin appeared on his face, "It'll make a hole in your chest and you will become a hollow. The end!"

Sayomi again had to beat back the urge to attack the shop keeper as he threw a handful of confetti into the air. 'I really hate this man,' she thought as she stared at him, little pieces of colorful and shiny confetti gathering on her head, her tail flicked violently behind her as she twitched angrily.

"What?! Is that really what happens? I'm going to become a hollow?!" Ichigo cried.

"Oh my, didn't you know," Urahara asked as he blinked down at Ichigo innocently. "But don't worry," he chirped. "There's one way to prevent you from becoming a hollow after the Chain of Fate has been severed. Only one."

Sayomi narrowed her eyes as she watched Urahara look down at Ichigo. Ichigo was now staring intently up at him and his unease was clear in his face.

"You must become a Soul Reaper," Urahara finished as he snapped his fan shut and lowered his hand to his side.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he gazed up at the man.

"That's right," Urahara sang. "Lesson two is for you to get your Shinigami powers back. When this lesson ends you will once again have the powers of a Shinigami. So shall we start lesson two? Shattered Shaft! Go!" He shouted as he turned with a flourish and pointed off to his right.

As Ichigo was looking off to where Urahara was pointing, he didn't immediately realize that something had happened to the floor beneath him. Blinking down at where the ground had been he saw...Nothing...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Sayomi winced and walked towards the edge of the large hole that had appeared in the ground to peek over the edge.

"It's pretty deep, isn't it," she asked as Ichigo continued screaming for a few more seconds before a rather loud and uncomfortable sounding thud was heard.

"I put in a lot of work," Ururu, the little pigtailed girl who worked at the shop, replied as she held up her little arm and flexed it.

Sayomi blinked at her before looking at Urahara who just shrugged. She looked back into the hole and her eyes easily adjusted to the lack of light and found Ichigo and Tessai both at the bottom of the deep shaft. Ichigo's arms were now restricted behind him by what appeared to be thick strips of metal.

"Bakudo ninety nine," Sayomi muttered. "You're actually going to kill him if he can't get out! Which by the way is impossible and you know it," she shouted at Urahara.

"Well....Ok," Urahara said as he stepped to the edge of the hole. "So just climb up here while you're indisposed like that. That's lesson number two."

"But that's impossible," Ichigo shouted.

"Oh my. You know you really aren't in any position to question what's possible. Look," Urahara said.

Ichigo glanced down to see that the chains had grown little mouths with sharp, needle like teeth and were eating each other, shortening the length of the chain. He then began screaming out in pain or surprise, it was hard to tell.

"Geez, he screams a lot," Sayomi grumbled as she continued to peek down into the shaft.

"Just don't get close to their teeth or they'll eat _you_ instead of the chain," Urahara called down casually.

The orange haired boy in the shaft fell face first in to the dirt as the teeth stopped their chewing and became still.

"Normally it would take months or even years for a Chain of Fate to get into that condition, but in the Shattered Shaft there's a special gas that stimulates the encroachment. In there it will take only seventy two hours, so three days before the encroachment is complete. In that time you will have to become a Soul Reaper and crawl out of there, or you will turn into a hollow and we will have to kill you," Urahara called down darkly and with utmost seriousness.

Sayomi stepped away from the edge of the shaft and walked over to Urahara who plopped himself down on the ground a few feet from the large, dark hole.

"You know full well that Ichigo-"

Urahara cut Sayomi off by flipping his fan open and fanning himself, "Oh, it's so warm down here, I think we need some water. Jinta, Ururu will you two get some water for Sayomi and I?"

The two looked at him oddly for a moment before Jinta shrugged and walked towards the ladder that led back up to the shop.

Sayomi waited until the children were out of ear shot before continuing. "He won't make it out of there without at least part of his soul becoming a hollow and you know it," Sayomi hissed coldly.

"Then he'll have to learn to deal with it," Urahara stated.

"You know he can't do that on his own," Sayomi replied her anger was barely hidden behind the usual calm coldness of her voice. " Which means-"

"It means he'll have to learn to overcome it, you did it and so did eight others. Or do you doubt him?"

"I don't doubt him, but I'm no fool either, you're using him at the risk of his soul! Baka! I'm not stupid Kisuke, I know why that girl seemed so weak and wasn't regaining her strength while in the gigai you gave her. It wasn't a normal gigai was it? It was an untraceable gigai similar to the ones that you, Tessai and all us Vizard inhabit, wasn't it?"

Kisuke ignored her question and stared towards the dark hole in the ground.

"I thought so, why were you trying to hide a Soul Reaper from Soul Society?"

Still Kisuke didn't answer her.

"The only reason I can think of at the moment is that you put something in the gigai that shouldn't have been there. Say something like the Hogyoku," Sayomi said as she kept her eyes trained on the blond, "Since you aren't answering I'm going to assume that I'm correct. You're so set on training Ichigo, not because you want to help him, but because you want him to help you without knowing it."

"If he knows the real reasons I'm helping him he may not go to Soul Society," Kisuke finally said.

"You don't know Ichigo, Kisuke, he would still go," Sayomi stated.

Kisuke looked at her in surprise for a moment before the look faded and was replaced by a small frown.

"So it's finally started. The war with the traitorous bastards who ruined our lives," Sayomi said as she laid herself down on the dirt of the training facility.

"It seems that way," Kisuke replied.

"You had better hope that Ichigo can do this, I'd go with him if I could but..."

"Some of his friends are going with him and Yoruichi too. She's out helping them train right now," Kisuke said.

"Who," Sayomi asked quickly.

"I believe their names were Chad, and Orihime. I believe that Quincy boy is out training on his own as we speak as well."

Sayomi stood up abruptly and glared Kisuke, "If any one of them is hurt, I will hold you personally responsible. They have nothing to do with this war, you should have let them live in peace."

"You know as well as I do that this upcoming battle will concern everyone. Soul Reapers and humans alike. They wanted to go, at least Yoruichi is trying to help them train the powers they have acquired."

"Just what are they capable of," Sayomi asked as she sat back down.

"Oh that's right, you've been gone for awhile. Chad seems to have a strange ability that covers his arm in a strange armor and that packs a pretty powerful punch. Orihime can.. well.. summon little fairy things that can do anything from heal to creating a barrier and even attack."

"Orihime is not fit for battle, she's too timid and self conscious," Sayomi stated.

"Yes, but the healing ability may come in handy. It seems she can reverse the damage done, not just heal."

"That's a very strange ability," Sayomi muttered as she winced as Ichigo's screams once again reached her ears.

They sat in silence after that, Kisuke sitting cross legged fanning himself as he stared off into space and Sayomi lying down, her head on her front paws as she stared off towards the rim of the Shattered Shaft.

'This is risky,' she thought worriedly, 'Kisuke knew full well what would happen to Ichigo once he cut the Chain of Fate. So did Tessai. They've seen it before. They must be desperate since none of us can get into Soul Society. Myself most of all, I'd be killed on sight. Just like the rest of the Vizard and all we did was try to protect our home and follow the orders that were given to us. Now Ichigo is trying to protect a friend that helped him and he may not return. That's if he can even survive the change. Fight, Ichigo. Fight with that pride of yours, fight and don't lose. You can't lose.'

"Stop being so gloomy Sayomi. Ichigo is strong, just like his father," Kisuke said.

"Does his father know what it is you're doing," Sayomi asked, her eyes never leaving the rim of the dark hole.

"Yes," was his casual response.

"I see. You must have a lot of faith in Ichigo and you're right, he is strong. I'm just worried about the outcome of all this. When he returns from Soul Society I'll be put in a delicate position. I know Ichigo, the other Vizard's are aware of this. I will be asked to recruit him into our ranks. I won't though, I won't involve Ichigo in this more than he already is. Our fight, the Vizard's fight, isn't his fight. Hell some of it I don't even want to be involved in. I don't know Shinji's plans, I was never interested so I never paid much attention to him, the others will follow him, I only have so much pull now. My fight was with the people that caused me to end up here in the real world, forced to live as a human and hide from my own home. If they want Ichigo badly enough even I won't be able to stop them. I know how to help him with the transformation but..."

"But," Kisuke asked.

"I can't do it on my own and if I tried that would cause too many problems with the others. In the end I'll have to go back to them just so I can make sure Ichigo doesn't wind up a hollow. I'd make _you_ help me," she said as she shot the shop keeper a cold glare. "But there's no way that you and I alone would be able to hold him back. Tessai would have to focus on the barrier and that would leave only you and I to keep him in the barrier while he fights the inner hollow. Ururu and Jinta, as strong as they are, wouldn't be of any help, they would only get hurt. Each transformation is different, but I know from experience that the two of us, former captains or not, wouldn't be able to do it on our own. Even If Yoruichi helped, I don't think it's possible."

"Don't worry so much, Sayomi, it'll make you wrinkle," Kisuke teased happily, "Everything will be fine."

'I wish I could believe you, but I know better,' she thought. 'I'm no longer the optimist I used to be. There are too many possibilities, too many uncertainties. You damn fool, just what am I going to do now. I was perfectly content with my rather boring life.'

'_I thought you hated it here, in the living world_,' Fuyukaze asked softly.

'I may not be fond of the world, but I had no problem living a dull and unimportant life. I just want to be left alone to do what I please, but somehow I keep getting sucked into situations that should never have existed,' Sayomi replied.

'_We will make it through little hime, just be strong and keep your chin held high like the princess you are_,' Fuyukaze replied.

Sayomi sighed sadly, 'I'm not a princess anymore, Fuyukaze, I never was one. I was just a girl that got lucky one day, very lucky, but then that luck turned sour and I was gifted with a curse that I would wish on no one. The life I lead isn't too far from meaningless, I exist to do what? The only thing I can do is fight and protect, it's what I was trained to do, but what do I have to protect aside from a world that can never know I exist or what I am, I have to hide and can never live a normal life again. I've been lucky to find a few friends in this world and since Ichigo and Uryu now know that I am different in someway I'll be able to share what I am, I suppose, it'll be nice to not lie to them any longer. On top of that it also means I don't have to disappear from their lives one day.'

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Please review!


	7. Chapter 7 The Rebirth

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

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**Chapter 7**

**The Rebirth**

"It's been nearly seventy hours, Kisuke, what do you plan on doing exactly when he doesn't get out," Sayomi asked as she turned her white little head to look over at Kisuke who was munching on an apple.

"Well," Kisuke said, pieces of the apple spraying from his mouth as he spoke. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Always cryptic, it never ceases to annoy me," Sayomi replied as her tail flicked about her.

"Me, annoying," Kisuke said, offended as he tossed his now finished apple into the large pile behind him.

Sayomi rolled her eyes before turning her head back to the pit. Her head turned to the side as Jinta ran down the side of the large hole, a bowl of fruit held over his head.

"He likes to cause more trouble than is healthy," Sayomi grumbled as she watched him lower the food to the ground a few feet in front of Ichigo with a wicked grin.

"I brought you some food, thought you might be getting hungry," he said.

"Well at least he's not drooling on him anymore," Sayomi said as she watched the red head talk to Ichigo.

"I'm not hungry you little punk. Take a good look, the Chain of Fate is still long, I have plenty of time,"  
Ichigo replied.

"Well, I'll leave it there for you. When you're down in Shattered Shaft you lose all sense of time," Jinta said as he turned away from Ichigo.

"Time," Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, you've been in here for about seventy hours already. You'll be a hollow soon. Oh, and let me tell ya something else. The final corrosion. It's stronger and more painful than any of the others."

"Huh," Ichigo grunted as Jinta disappeared back up the high walls of the shaft, "Wait, what the- AHHH!"

Sayomi stood up and watched as the remaining links to the chain of Fate began to eat themselves. Ichigo screamed in pain and fear as they made their way closer to his chest.

"Preparing rescue operation," Ururu said as she held her hand, palm down over the hole as Ichigo screamed.

"Not yet," Kisuke said as he placed his hand on the small girl's shoulder. "Watch him closely."

"The order in which a soul usually turns into a hollow is jumbled," Sayomi explained as she watched a white substance pour from Ichigo's mouth and begin to form a mask over his face. "Normally, his body would have disintegrated before it reforms. His body isn't changing though, the mask is forming first. Meaning, he's fighting."

"Correct," Kisuke replied. "Let's just watch him a little longer. He still has a chance of becoming a Shinigami. If he doesn't... then he will become a hollow and we'll have to dispose of him. Just a little longer."

"Come on Ichigo, fight. Fight and win," Sayomi said as she watched the power struggle in the large hole.

For several minutes Sayomi, Kisuke, Ururu and Jinta all stood watching tensely as the mask that was forming on Ichigo's face continued to grow until it had all but enveloped his whole face.

"We can't wait any longer sir, I'm switching to suppression mode," Tessai yelled as the bolts that held the metal straps to Ichigo's arms began to fly off as they were being bent apart. "Bakudo ninety-nine number two, Ban-Kin!" Tessai said as he slammed his palms into the ground.

White bandage like strips of cloth began to circle around Ichigo and wrap around him as he struggled against his metal bonds and against his own soul.

"First incantation! Shiryu! Second incantation, Hyaku-ren-san!" Tessai recited.

"What are you doing, Tessai! That'll kill him!" Jinta shouted into the hole as sharp needle like objects flew at Ichigo, stabbing him all over his body.

"I have no choice. I can't restrain him anymore," Tessai called back in response. "Final incantation, ban-kin-tai-ho!"

Sayomi watched silently, her eyes narrowed and her body tense as a large metal block appeared over Ichigo and began to fall towards him. 'Come on Ichigo, this can't be it.'

There was a sudden explosion and Sayomi had to back away from the edge of the shaft before the bright light and heat could scorch her fur. Kisuke quickly stepped in front of Ururu and Jinta to shield them from the blast and even Sayomi had to huddle with them so as not to be sent flying by the force of the blast.

Something shot out of the hole, landing several yards away in a cloud of dust and smoke.

"Is that him," Jinta asked as he tried to peer through the curtain of thick dust.

Sayomi stepped around Kisuke and watched as a shape began to form as the air began to clear.

"A Shinigami uniform and a mask. What is he, a hollow or a Shinigami," Jinta said as Ichigo came into focus.

Sayomi took a few steps towards Ichigo, placing herself between him and Jinta, Ururu and Kisuke. He was indeed wearing the garb of a Soul Reaper but he was also wearing the mask of a bird-like hollow. For her that was no big deal, it was quite normal anymore, but she couldn't tell just what had won, the Soul Reaper in him, or the hollow. Even if the Soul Reaper part of him won, she knew it would be short lived and that the hollow in him would eventually make its way to the surface and try to take over his soul. It was a simple fact that couldn't be avoided, Kisuke knew that, but Ichigo did not. She figured for now it was better that way. It meant less for him to worry about and it would still take some time and maybe in that time she could find a way to help him with the transformation.

Ururu and Jinta both took defensive stances as Ichigo's hand reached for the hilt of the large sword that was strapped to his back. When he drew the sword it was just a partial blade, it had never recovered from the attack Byakuya had inflicted upon it a few nights before.

"Come on, I'll take you," Jinta shouted as Ichigo swung the blade out before him. "Huh?"

Instead of attacking, Ichigo brought the hilt of the sword to his face, smashing the mask he wore into pieces.

"So he didn't turn into a hollow," Jinta asked as Ichigo removed the rest of the mask from his face.

"No, he won the fight," she replied. 'For now,' she thought to herself.

"Congratulations!" Kisuke cheered as he clapped his hands together. "You're a real Shinigami now. Good job, you've passed the second test!"

"Shut up you fool," Ichigo shouted as he used the hilt of his sword to hit Kisuke in the face.

Sayomi had to resist the urge to snicker as Kisuke covered his face and crouched down, whining about his eyes and how mean Ichigo was.

"So now that I'm out of that hole and alive, I'm going to kill you. I swore that if I made it out of that hole I would make you suffer," Ichigo shouted.

"Oh, well then, I suppose we can start lesson number three," Kisuke said as he stood up from his crouch, no sign of injury to his face and a big grin.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Ichigo cried as he threw his hands up in the air.

"And about this lesson. There is no time limit. All you have to do is knock my hat off my head and I shall admit defeat," Kisuke explained cheerily.

Ichigo grinned at Kisuke before swinging his broken zanpakuto out before him. Kisuke's eyes nearly crossed as he looked at the small cut that Ichigo had inflicted upon his hat.

"Very good, that sword still has some power left in it," he said.

"Damn right. Forget your no time limit, give me five minutes and I'll have this finished," Ichigo said pridefully.

Sayomi sighed and walked off to were Tessai was now climbing out of the shaft. "You're a mess," she said.

"Thanks, Ms Himura," Tessai mumbled.

"Of course."

* * *

"It's been five minutes already, is he still running," Sayomi asked Jinta as she walked up next to him and Ururu who were watching the 'fight' between Ichigo and Kisuke.

"Yeah, the boss just keeps hacking at him. He's definitely not taking this seriously," Jinta replied.

Sayomi sighed and watched as Ichigo leapt out of the way as Kisuke's sword came dangerously close to his neck. "This may take longer than we thought."

"What's he doing," Jinta said as they all watched Ichigo came to a stop.

"He's a moron," Sayomi answered as Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise when Kisuke cut his shoulder, "He doesn't realize that the sword Kisuke is using is a zanpakuto, so he thought it wouldn't hurt him."

"What an idiot," Ururu said in her quiet little girl's voice.

"You got that right," Jinta agreed.

"Get out of the way," Tessai called as Kisuke released an attack that was directed for Ichigo, who was standing a few yards in front of them facing Kisuke.

Sayomi had to scramble around the large boulder that was a few feet behind them just as Ichigo went tumbling past them followed by a rush of hot air and a bright flash of light.

"Was that really necessary," Sayomi grumbled as she looked at her dirt riddled fur with disdain.

No longer interested in the fight that was going on around her, Sayomi leapt onto a boulder and began to clean the dirt from her fur.

'_He's not doing too well, is he_,' Fuyukaze asked.

'That's an understatement. He's doing horrible, he doesn't understand what a zanpakuto really is. If he doesn't get that much, he'll never be able to rescue that girl,' Sayomi replied.

'_True_,' Fuyukaze agreed, '_Do you think Kisuke will kill him_?'

'Who knows. I doubt it though.'

'_Sayomi-sama, I think you may want to watch them again_,' Fuyukaze said.

'Why, so I can see how well Ichigo runs?'

'_No, because-_'

"Ahhhhh!!" Sayomi cried as she was thrown from the boulder she was sitting on by some unseen force.

"What the hell," she yelled as she landed on all fours several yards away, her fur raised making look very fluffy as her claws dug into the earth.

'_I tried to warn you_,' Fuyukaze said and in the back of her mind she could see the amused smirk on his perfect face as he leaned back into a clear blue sky.

"Oh, shut up Fuyu." She huffed and began to walk back towards the clearing the fight had moved to. Ichigo now had a sword held out to his side. It was nearly as tall as he was with no guard and white bandages wrapped around the hilt.

"I don't think I can control this, so I hope you dodge it," Ichigo said to Kisuke before swinging the sword out before him towards the surprised, whether it was real or not Sayomi wasn't sure, shopkeeper.

"Sing, Benihime!" Kisuke called out as a white blade of energy flew at him.

Sayomi turned her head to the side at the brightness of the energy but saw as Kisuke's hat flew off his blond head before floating down to the ground.

"So I take it you finally get it," Sayomi asked as she walked up to sit beside Kisuke, her eyes on the very out of breath Ichigo before her.

Ichigo blinked at her in disbelief before passing out and landing on his face in the dirt.

"He must be tired," Sayomi said as she walked up to him and prodded him with her paw.

"That or a talking cat was more than he could handle," Kisuke said as he rubbed at his neck.

"Oh yeah, I forget sometimes," Sayomi replied. "I'm used to being in human form."

"You're a strange one, Sayomi," Kisuke sighed.

* * *

"Good morning," Sayomi said as Ichigo stirred and sat up on the bedroll he had been sleeping on.

"Huh," Ichigo said as he looked around the room in confusion before his eyes landed on the only being in the room. "It's just a cat, cats don't talk."

"Not all of them anyways."

"Huh, what the-"

"Seriously, is it that hard to believe a cat can talk," Sayomi asked as she walked up to Ichigo who was looking frantically around them for the sound of the voice before his eyes rested on Sayomi.

"D-D-D-Did you just talk," Ichigo spluttered out.

Sayomi sighed. "You know, Ichigo, I really didn't think you would react so-"

"Oh my god, the cat is talking! I've lost my mind. Wait no! I'm still asleep! That's it!" He yelled as he pinched his arm. "There did that work."

Sayomi stared up at him blankly, her tail lazily swishing back and forth behind her, her ears twitching slightly.

"I knew I was just imagining tha-OW! What the hell?!" Ichigo yelled as he clutched at his nose that Sayomi had head butted.

"You're an idiot," she said as she turned away from him and began to walk out of the room.

"Hey wait a second, you sound a lot like someone I know."

"Well, I would hope so you fool," she replied as she turned back to him.

"Sayomi?"

"Yes."

"You're a cat?"

"Right now. I can change back to human form if you'd feel more comfortable."

"Well it is sort of weird talking to a cat." he replied, scratching at his head as he stared at her.

"Why?"

"It just is." Ichigo replied heatedly.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it...Never mind!" Ichigo shouted.

"No need to shout," Kisuke said as he slid the door to the room open, a finger in his ear.

"So when does the training start," Ichigo asked eagerly.

"As soon as you're ready," Kisuke replied.

"Ok, then lets go," Ichigo said as he jumped up.

"Are you coming, Sayomi," Kisuke called as the walked down the hall.

"Yeah, I suppose someone should make sure you don't kill him," she answered.

Ichigo stopped abruptly in the hall, causing Sayomi to bump into his leg.

"What the hell, Ichigo!"

"Why are you a cat?" he asked as he turned to look down at the angry Sayomi.

"Because it's easier than being in human form."

"So you're not human?"

"I thought that much was already fairly obvious," Sayomi replied, a slight trace of irritation in her tone.

"Then what are you?"

"I'm dead."

Ichigo looked at her blankly.

"I was a Soul Reaper before I came here, usually Soul Reapers are souls, meaning dead," Sayomi explained.

"Oh...Ok," Ichigo said, looking extremely confused as he turned to follow after Kisuke.

* * *

'_He's doing well_.'

'Better than he was doing anyway,' Sayomi replied to Fuyukaze as she watched Kisuke and Ichigo take swings at each other, block and push away time and time again.

'_What do you plan on doing about the hollow part of him_?'

'I honestly don't know. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how things play out. I can't help him much on my own. My only option is to get the others to help me.'

'_Would they?_'

'Help me? No. But they will want to recruit him, it's not often that a new person like us comes along. His strength would definitely be beneficial to us, but I don't want him involved in a war that doesn't technically involve him,' Sayomi replied.

'_So what do you plan on doing then_,' Fuyukaze asked.

'I'm just going to let things run their own course. Shinji will come to me, or he'll send Kensei to ask for my help in recruiting Ichigo since I know him. I don't plan on helping them, but if Ichigo decides he wants to join with us then that's fine and I will help in his training.'

'_But will he_?'

'No, he'll only want to use the Vizard to learn to control the hollow in him. That's fine by me, that's what I want to do.'

'_So in other words you plan on doing nothing_.'

'Basically.'

'_That was a rather long winded explanation then_.'

"Whatever, I'm bored. I'm going for a walk," Sayomi said as she stood from the dusty ground she was on and made her way up the ladder that led to the shop before leaving the little shop.

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Please review!


	8. Chapter 8 Willingly Abducted

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

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**Chapter 8**

**Willingly Abducted**

Sayomi was walking down a path that led to the banks of a nearby river. The fireworks festival was that night and Ichigo had told her that everyone was meeting around three by the river. Her hair was left down and it blew out behind her as she walked. She was dressed in a pair of light jeans and a dark blue silky halter top that had a slight turtleneck, she had a light, cropped denim jacket over it and a pair of dark blue flats.

"Hey Ichigo wait up!" Sayomi called as she ran to catch up to the tall orange haired boy.

"Oh, hey Sayomi. You're not a cat," Ichigo observed as he looked down at his rather short friend.

"Nope, not today. I haven't seen everyone in awhile so I figured I'd come to the festival," she replied.

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something but Keigo, a boy they attended school with, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began to run at them, all the while calling Sayomi's name rather loudly.

"Sayomiiiii!!! Where have you been my short goddess of-"

Sayomi squeaked and leapt behind Ichigo as the brown haired boy charged full speed at her.

"You're mean!" Keigo cried as Ichigo's foot connected with his face.

"Thanks," Sayomi said as she stepped from behind Ichigo to look down at Keigo who was sobbing on the concrete.

"No problem," Ichigo replied blandly. "Although I don't see why you can't do it yourself."

"I might get dirty," Sayomi answered indignantly.

"Did you miss me, Keigo!" someone behind them shouted.

"Get away you devil!" Keigo shouted as he threw salt at another friend of theirs.

"Why is he throwing salt at Mizuiro," Sayomi leaned over to ask Ichigo as she continued to watch as Mizuiro, who was awfully tan, tried to fight off Keigo.

"Because Mizuiro went to Phuket with his girlfriend and a bunch of her friends."

"Oh, right," Sayomi replied as she blinked at the two before turning away.

"Whatever. Hey Keigo, the fireworks aren't until midnight why'd you drag me out here, it's only three," Ichigo asked, irritated.

Sayomi sighed and looked out over the river as Keigo proceeded to overreact and rant about how important the festival was and how glad he was to be there.

"Ah!" Sayomi yelped as she jumped out of the way as Keigo suddenly face planted into the ground where she had been standing. She blinked down at him in confusion, not entirely sure how he had ended up there.

"Sorry about that Sayomi."

"Oh, hey Tatsuki. It's no problem," Sayomi said as she looked up to see another classmate, a girl with short dark hair and a....cast on her arm. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh this," Tatsuki replied as she waved her right arm in the air. "Nothing really. I was hit by a car at the Nationals."

"You were what?!" Ichigo asked.

"I was hit by a car," Tatsuki replied again with a shrug. "Right before my next fight too. I got through that fine by using just my left hand, but the last guy was like a gorilla and I only came in second place."

"Impressive," Sayomi said.

"Hey Sayomi where have you been," another girl asked as she walked up beside Tatsuki with a dark skinned teenager that was almost twice Sayomi's height.

"Hi Orihime. I had to go and help some family in another prefecture, I didn't have much notice so sorry for not saying bye," she answered.

"Oh, that's alright. I'm just glad you're back," she chirped.

"Hi Chad," Sayomi said to the guy she dubbed in her head as 'the tall one'.

"Hey," was her only response from him.

"So where is it again," Sayomi asked as the group walked along the bank of the river.

"It's on the banks of the Onose River," Keigo answered.

"Oh, so aren't we there then," Sayomi asked as she stopped and looked at the river.

"Not yet. They're shooting the fireworks off at the field across the river, we have to go further down to get a good view," Mizuiro said.

"What's wrong with right here," Tatsuki asked as she plunked herself down on the grass. "Besides, if we get too close we'll just get lost in the crowds of people and the street vendors."

"Wha?!" Keigo cried.

"I'm just going to keep walking," Sayomi said as Keigo yelled about the importance of a festival and that a part of the fun was the vendors and beautiful women.

"I'll walk with you," Ichigo said.

"What's that," Sayomi asked as the ground seemed to start shaking and footsteps echoed loudly through the area.

"Ichigo!!!!"

Sayomi blinked at the three people running haphazardly towards her and Ichigo. "Oh no," she said as they neared them.

She cringed and closed her eyes, expecting to be bowled over by the quickly approaching trio.

There was a loud crash and a scream followed by excited laughter.

Sayomi blinked her eyes open and breathed out in relief that she hadn't been taken down by Ichigo's sisters, or his father for that matter. She looked down at Ichigo who was laying on the ground, his two younger sisters Yuzu and Karin sitting on him and happily chattering away about their day. She winced as Yuzu yelled at Ichigo who was refusing to eat her chocolate covered banana.

"Turn the volume down will ya! Are you drunk or something," Ichigo shouted as he struggled to get away from his sisters who were grasping onto him.

"Actually I'm absolutely wasted," Ichigo's dad, Isshin, said with a blank face as he picked at his pink cotton candy that he had held before him.

Sayomi looked at the man in disbelief before shaking her head. "How did that happen, Mr Kurosaki," she asked.

"Well, it was like this," he said dramatically waving his hands out before him, nearly hitting a passer by with pink cotton candy. "Old man Ken put out a fruit juice stall, and I drank some of his juice, but apparently the old man's going senile," at this point he was facing away from them and pointing at his head while spinning a finger. "He thinks water is sake! So he diluted the juice with sake, it's not my fault!"

"Of course not, Mr Kurosaki," Sayomi agreed seriously with a nod. "You're not to blame at all."

"He knew exactly what he was drinking," Mizuiro said as he leaned towards her.

"Oh yeah," Sayomi replied.

"Oh, but forget that. I found us seats, I've been saving them since seven this morning," Mr Kurosaki called pridefully as he placed his hands on his hips in a very superman-esque pose.

"Let's go!" Keigo shouted, pumping his fist in the air as he and Mizuiro ran towards the older man.

"How about you lovely ladies," Mr Kurosaki said as he turned to wink at Sayomi.

"We'll be over there in awhile," Tatsuki said dismissively.

"Great!" he yelled before turning to run off, Yuzu, Karin, Keigo, Mizuiro and even Chad following him.

"Sorry about the chaos, Tatsuki," Ichigo said.

"Whatever. We'll be over there later, go ahead and catch up with them you two," she replied.

"See you later," Ichigo shrugged.

"See you guys over there then," Sayomi said with a smile as she waved at Orihime and Tatsuki.

"Are you nervous," Sayomi asked.

"Nah."

"Not even a little?"

"Well maybe a little," Ichigo replied as he scratched at the back of his head.

"You'll be fine. Just stay away from the captains, they're in a completely different class than the others."

"What were you ranked," Ichigo asked curiously as he glanced down at Sayomi as they made they're way through the crowded streets.

"I was a-"

"You alright, Sayomi," Ichigo asked as he looked down to see that Sayomi was looking ahead of her, a scowl on her face. Looking around he saw a guy with gray hair, an eyebrow piercing and two gold rings in his upper ear walking towards them.

"Hey, who's this, Sayomi?" the man asked as he walked up to her.

"None of your damned business," she hissed.

"Who the hell are you," Ichigo asked, angry at the blunt question and the way Sayomi seemed to not be happy about seeing the man.

"I'm a friend of Sayomi's you little punk," the man said roughly.

"Just what's your prob-"

"Enough," Sayomi scolded angrily as she raised an arm between Ichigo and Kensei who were glaring at each other. "What do you want, Kensei?"

"Where have you been?"

"Again, none of your damned business," Sayomi growled coldly.

"Dammit Sayomi, everyone was worried about you and you've been off playing with the little Soul Reaper," Kensei said angrily as he shot another glare at Ichigo.

"Who are you calling little," Ichigo growled, balling up a fist to shake at Kensei.

"What do I care if everyone was worried?! Everyone lied to me! The whole time I thought he was dead, he was actually alive and married," Sayomi shot back her voice rising dangerously.

"Not everyone knew, Sayomi, Shinji is the one who told us all he was dead," Kensei said calmly, even though Sayomi could see the surprise from her statement about Byakuya being married in his eyes.

Sayomi sighed and shook her head. "I don't care anymore, just leave me alone. You've done an excellent job of that in the last several years."

"Sayomi," Kensei pleaded.

"Go away," Sayomi said as she waved her hand at him and walked off.

"Dammit," Kensei cursed as he watched her walk away.

Ichigo watched her leave for a moment before shrugging and following after her as he looked for his friends and family.

* * *

"Is Sayomi alright, she's been pretty quiet all day," Orihime asked Ichigo as she stared at the white haired girl in concern.

Sayomi had been withdrawn and silent since her encounter with Kensei earlier in the day, she had stayed a little apart from the group and watched as they all talked and laughed happily.

Ichigo shrugged in response to Orihime's question.

"Well, I should try to cheer her up," Orihime said determinedly.

Sayomi looked up from the blades of grass she had been pulling from the ground as a shadow fell over her, "Orihime," she asked as she as she stared up at the girl whose hands were on her hips and she had a strange look on her face.

"You've been sad and quiet all day, but I have decided to take it upon myself to cheer you up. So come on we're going to get some ice cream. There's a vendor down the street that sells the best bean paste and pickle flavored ice cream," Orihime said as she reached down and pulled Sayomi off the ground.

"No, I'm fine really, I don't like ice cream, how about some cookies?" Sayomi said hurriedly as she tried to get out of eating strange flavored ice cream.

"Poor Sayomi," Mizuiro said to Ichigo as they watched Sayomi struggling uselessly against Orihime's tight grasp on her hand.

"Yeah, Orihime does have some strange tastes in food, but at least she's not sulking anymore," Ichigo replied.

"True," Mizuiro agreed.

"Orihime, really I'm fine I swear, see," Sayomi pleaded as she threw on a very big smile and tried to back away from the little stall they were standing in front of.

"But the red bean paste goes really well with the chocolate and strawberries and the sprinkles are so pretty," Orihime said as she held out a bowl of very strange looking and colorful ice cream out to Sayomi.

"I'm not hungry," Sayomi replied as she placed a hand over her mouth and shook her head.

"Oh, well I guess that's ok," Orihime said sadly, her head drooping in disappointment.

Sayomi sighed, she really didn't like making Orihime sad and it was hard to deny the girl when she was. "Oh, fine give it here."

Orihime brightened instantly and thrust the ice cream at Sayomi, grabbing her own from the large man who ran the stall before paying and then happily digging into her ice cream.

Sayomi gulped as she looked down at the mess in her bowl and wearily picked up her spoon, she took a small portion of the ice cream and cautiously put it in her mouth, her stomach instantly revolted and she had to force herself to swallow and smile at Orihime who was watching her in anticipation, "Good," Sayomi choked out.

"See what did I tell you," Orihime chirped.

'_You've fought against some of the most fearsome hollows, but you can't say no to a teenage girl_,' Fuyukaze asked teasingly.

'Oh, shut up you stupid jewelry wearing pretty boy before I make that little mountain paradise you're sitting in a desert,' Sayomi snapped.

She scowled when she heard Fuyukaze's amused chuckle echo in her head.

Her and Orihime walked along, Sayomi taking small bites of the ice cream whenever Orihime would look over at her. They were on their way back to the seats that Ichigo's dad had saved for them all when Sayomi was suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked into a dark hallway that was in between two brightly decorated street vendors. The ice cream dropped from her hands and splattered on to the ground as a hand wrapped itself around her waist and another covered her mouth.

Orihime looked around her in confusion and scratched at her head when she saw no sign of Sayomi who had moments ago been right next to her. "Maybe she wanted to get more ice cream, I would have gone back with her."

"Hey Orihime, what happened to Sayomi," Tatsuki as Orihime rejoined the group.

"I think she went back for more ice cream, she just kind of disappeared," Orihime answered.

Ichigo looked over at Orihime and frowned. "Did she say anything before she left?"

Orihime shook her head. "No."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be fine," he replied, wondering if he should look for her, knowing what he did about her, which wasn't much, but it was enough to make him wonder if she was alright. He figured that she could take care of herself though and would be fine.

Sayomi grunted as she was turned around and pushed back into a wall, she glared menacingly up at Kensei who had one arm on either side of her head and was scowling angrily at her.

"Why are you hanging around them, it's dangerous, Sayomi."

"Awww, is the big bad Kensei worried," Sayomi taunted haughtily with narrowed eyes.

"Dammit Sayomi, the kid's a wanna be Soul Reaper."

"And?"

"You're going to end up drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. Why are you risking it? Soul Society wanted to kill us for what we are, the order to terminate us still stands. If they come looking for that kid and you're nearby-"

"I'll kill them first," Sayomi said coldly.

Kensei sighed exasperatedly. "Why, so that you'll be hunted? We've stayed out of Soul Society's way for over a hundred years, and it seems they've either forgotten us or have decided it wasn't worth the time to hunt us down and kill us. I like it like that, I don't want to fight Soul Reapers, Sayomi."

"I know, Kensei, I don't either, but I will do what is necessary to stay alive, and to make sure they all live too."

"You're not only putting yourself at risk, you know that don't you?"

Sayomi snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'm not involving you or the others, so as long as you all leave me alone, like you have been, no attention will be drawn to your whereabouts."

"Are you really that stupid," Kensei exclaimed. "If you're in trouble, I don't plan on standing off to the side and watching you get killed, you know the others wouldn't either."

"That's not my problem, I don't need your help, Kensei, I've managed just fine on my own," Sayomi said icily. "Now move."

Sayomi narrowed her eyes at Kensei when he didn't move and a chilly wind whipped through the alleyway, lifting her hair from her shoulders and causing little bits of frost to form on her eyelashes.

"I'm not going to let you go back over there," Kensei stated.

"Oh?"

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way."

"Hn," Sayomi sniffed as the corner of her lip twisted up slightly.

"Sayomi," Kensei warned.

"Move. Now."

"No."

Sayomi shoved Kensei back forcefully and ducked when he tried to grab her, she raised her right foot at the same time and thrust it in to his stomach and smirked at the 'umph' she heard him emit.

"Dammit, Sayomi," Kensei growled as he moved his head to the right as she threw a punch at him, he grabbed her wrist and jerked her towards him, spinning her so that her back collided with his chest.

A growl rumbled from her throat as both her hands were pinned to her sides.

"Are you done yet," Kensei asked angrily as Sayomi struggled against him.

Sayomi stopped struggling and leaned back against Kensei, she had never been able to stand him being angry at her and he knew it, not to mention an angry Kensei was a little intimidating. An angry Sayomi was pretty scary in itself as well, but Kensei wasn't the easily intimidated type, not that Sayomi was, she just found it difficult to angrily glare at someone with her head tilted up awkwardly, it made her neck hurt. Usually it only got her laughed at anyway, she was a very skilled fighter, but she didn't like fighting against the few friends she had.

Kensei released her wrists and wrapped his arms around Sayomi's shoulders. "Come on, we're going home," he said before kissing the top of her head and letting go of her to grab her hand.

"I don't want to go back there, Kensei."

Kensei didn't reply just kept leading her along, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and Sayomi sighed, she wasn't going to get out of this and she knew it. Kensei wasn't trying to be mean he was just trying to protect her, something that she found comforting in a way. It had been a long time since he or anyone had tried to protect her, she was able to do that on her own. She hadn't become a captain of the Gotei 13 by being weak after all.

Sayomi paused and looked up into the starry night sky as loud whistling sounds echoed through the city. A series of colorful blasts of light erupted in the sky, throwing a wide array of colors splashing across her face. Kensei stopped when he saw her upturned face and the small smile that was there as she watched the fireworks explode into showers of reds, blues, golds and every other color imaginable.

Letting go of her hand, Kensei stepped behind Sayomi and wrapped his arms around her shoulders again, he would have wrapped his arms around her waist but she was a little too short for him to do that comfortably. A little surprised, Sayomi started slightly before relaxing and placing her her hands on his arms and squeezing them tighter against her as she leaned into him.

"It's been a long time, Kensei," Sayomi said quietly.

"Yeah, I've actually kinda missed your dumbass."

Sayomi smiled. "I've missed you too ,old man."

Kensei gritted his teeth together. "Who are you calling old, ya little brat?!"

"You," Sayomi replied, grinning. She had begun to tease Kensei years ago, calling him old because of the grayish tint of his hair, even though he looked like a teenager. It irritated him to no end and it amused Sayomi.

"You're the one with white hair!"

"And you're the one with _gray_ hair," Sayomi stated. "Old man."

"Damn you," Kensei huffed as he let go of Sayomi and stomped off.

Sayomi started laughing and ran after him, she jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and hanging on as he continued to stalk away from the field they had been in.

"Get off me, you damn leech," Kensei ordered.

"Nope, not until you say it," Sayomi replied teasingly as she wrapped her legs around his waist so that he was basically giving her a piggy back ride, unwillingly but that was the general idea.

Kensei's fists balled up and he scowled. "No way, now get off me before I kick your ass."

"You're so mean, Kensei," Sayomi whined playfully as she laid her forehead on his shoulder.

"Stupid woman, always getting on my nerves," Kensei continued to grumble under his breath for a few minutes while Sayomi clung to his back happily.

"Say it and I'll get off you," she sang.

She was gifted with a grunt in response.

"Oh, come on. Pleeeasssseee," Sayomi whined, all the while trying to not to burst into uncontrollable

giggles at the sight of Kensei's angry scowl.

"I love you," he grumbled under his breath.

Sayomi jumped from his back and put her hands on her hips. " Awww, I love you too. That wasn't so hard now was it?"

"Oh shut it, and let's go before I really do strangle you. I might enjoy it too much at this point."

Sayomi walked forward and stuck her arm through Kensei's who growled at her but allowed her to walk with her arm linked in his.

"You can be such an annoying pain in the ass, you know that?" he asked.

"Me, annoying pain in the ass," Sayomi asked in mock hurt. "That's so mean Kensei and here I was thinking you loved me."

"Would you shut up already," Kensei groaned.

"Nope."

"Fine," Kensei said as he quickly spun her around.

Sayomi let out a surprised squeal but was silenced when Kensei kissed her, his warm lips meeting hers roughly. She smiled against his lips before nipping lightly at his bottom lip, this only made him pull her closer to him and crush her against his chest as their lips moved over each other.

Breathless, Sayomi pulled away from Kensei. "Well that was fun," she said with a smirk.

"Damn right," Kensei agreed with a smirk of his own.

"We can't just pick up were we left off, it's not that simple," Sayomi said as she bowed her head to the ground.

"It never is, come on, it's getting late and I was supposed to have gotten dinner hours ago," Kensei said while grabbing Sayomi's hand and tugging her towards the nearest store.

* * *

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9 The Conflict

Disclaimer- Me no own Bleach, I do however own bleach, clorox, the stuff rocks because white and I so don't get along.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**The Conflict**

"Are you insane," Sayomi screeched, "I am not walking in there with food that was supposed to be here like twelve hours ago! I'll be killed!"

Kensei glared at Sayomi, wincing slightly at her raised voice. "Yeah ya are, now get going," Kensei said as he lifted his foot and kicked her in the butt, making her stumble through the barrier that hid the warehouse and through the doorway.

Sayomi yelped in shock and came to an abrupt halt after stumbling a few steps into the warehouse, she blinked at everyone before chuckling nervously. Seven sets of eyes looked at her in surprise before looking down at the bags in her hands.

"Oh crap," Sayomi mumbled as Mashiro started drooling as she stood up from the ground where she had previously been sleeping.

Kensei smirked as Sayomi's scream tore through the air as he walked into the warehouse to see her on the floor trying to swat away a drooling Mashiro, who was on top of her stuffing her mouth with whatever she could get out of the bags Sayomi had been carrying.

"Get this thing off me! This shirt is one of my favorites, it was expensive and it's dry clean only, now get her off me," Sayomi cried as she tried fruitlessly to get Mashiro off her.

"Alright, that's enough Mashiro, get off her," Kensei said after setting the bags he was carrying down and lifting the small girl off of Sayomi before tossing her behind him like a rag doll.

"I'm so going to kill you," Sayomi said through her ragged breathing.

"You love me remember," he remarked as he reached a hand down to help her off the ground.

"Remind why again," she asked as she let him pull her to her feet.

"It's nice to see you two gettin' along again, but would ya stop yer flirtin' and get over here, someone's gotta cook and since Sayomi's been gone I say it's her," Shinji hollered.

Sayomi smirked at Shinji. "Alright I'll cook, one thing first though," she said as she walked towards him like a cat advancing on its prey.

Shinji gulped and backed away. "N-n-now I can explain-"

He was cut off as Sayomi's fist collided with his face and he went flying backwards into the concrete pillar behind him, he slid down the pillar and landed in a heap on the floor.

"Was that really necessary," Kensei asked as he scratched at his neck and looked at the unconscious Shinji.

Sayomi dusted her hands off and looked at Kensei blankly, she blinked a few times as if trying to decide if he was serious. "Of course it was, I feel a lot better now actually. If he does something like that again though... I'll kill him."

Kensei shrugged. "Fair enough."

Mashiro walked up to Shinji and started poking him. "I think he's already dead," she called.

"He'll be fine," Love replied. "Sayomi just knocked him out."

"Is he supposed to be drooling," Mashiro asked as she hunched over to look at Shinji's face to see that a thin line of drool was making its way from the corner of the blond's mouth and down his chin to pool onto the floor.

"Eh, he'll live," Hiyori snorted as she walked up to him and kicked him in the side making him roll a few times before stopping on his stomach a few yards away. "Unfortunately."

* * *

"Hey have you seen Sayomi, Mr Hat and Clogs," Ichigo asked as he, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu stood before the shop keeper in his large underground training room that now had a very large odd rectangular doorway in it.

"No, I'm sure she's fine though," Kisuke replied.

"I hope so, she disappeared so suddenly the other night," Orihime said.

It had previously been explained to her by Ichigo that Sayomi had been a Soul Reaper and that she had been around while he was training with Urahara. She and Chad hadn't known until then she was different from them and had thought she was only a human, they hadn't been very surprised to find that she wasn't, she had always had a fairly strange presence.

"Well, let's get this show on the road," Kisuke said cheerfully.

After everything about the Dangai was explained and Kisuke rather forcefully ejected Ichigo's soul from his body the gateway to the Soul Society was opened and the four friends ran into it accompanied by the black cat known as Yoruichi.

* * *

Sayomi paused as she cooked and looked out the doorway of the warehouse with a frown. Ichigo's reiatsu as well as Chad's, Orihime's, Uryu's, and Yoruichi's had all just suddenly vanished from her senses.

"What is it," Kensei asked her.

She shook her head, "Nothing."

'Be careful and come home in one piece, all of you,' she thought as she went back to what she had been doing.

Kensei frowned at her but decided not to ask any more questions, knowing he wouldn't get a straight answer out of her without using force, and he was too hungry too care at the moment.

* * *

"Kensei, can I ask you something," Sayomi asked. They were sitting together in a dark corner of the warehouse, away from the others, Sayomi lay on her back, her head on Kensei's leg and her arms folded over her chest.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Why didn't you come visit me in the fifteen years I was gone and why was it that the few times I came around, you were never here? Were you that angry with me, did you hate me that much?"

"You left without a word, Sayomi, for five years none of us knew if you were alive or not. The way you left didn't exactly make me want to see you either."

"I'm sorry Kensei. I overreacted, I shouldn't have attacked-"

"I'm not talking about that," Kensei said gruffly.

Sayomi sighed, it was rare to get much emotion from Kensei, he was always the tough, angry one not the one who would talk about his feelings. "You're talking about the way I reacted to the mention of Byakuya, right? She had no right to say the things she said. Do you even know how the fight between her and I started that day?"

Kensei didn't say anything so Sayomi continued, "Do you remember that day? The fight you and I had that morning? You were angry at me because I wanted to go to the old fields where the sakura trees grew. I would go there every year on the same day and every year on that day you and I fought. It was the day I had been told Byakuya had died. All I wanted to do was honor his memory, just like every year I would go and sit in the park on the far side of town, the one with Koi ponds, to remember my parents. I loved him Kensei, that will never change.

However, I am no longer in love with him, how can I be, I thought he was dead, I also knew that it was hopeless before that. I was never going to marry him, it wasn't meant to be, something always happened to prevent us from entering into that union. It wasn't easy though, when I woke up to find that I was no longer in the home I grew up in and loved and I would never be going back. I knew then Byakuya and I would never be, I started coming to terms with it then, but I was in love and it's not that easy to forget that.

I was heart broken when Shinji said he died, it made everything seem so final, a part of me kept hoping and wishing that one day, by some twist of fate, all my hopes and dreams would come true. A very childish notion and not one entirely fitting of me, but I couldn't help it. After the hell we went through, I wanted nothing more than to believe in fairy tales and that mine would one day become reality. You helped me get through that, if it hadn't been for you I might still be sulking over it.

Anyways, after that fight I left and went to sit under the sakura trees, when I came back you were ignoring me like you usually would so I went downstairs to meditate...."

_Flashback _

Sayomi walked back into the warehouse, her white hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore a pair of black leggings under a loose black and white striped minidress, on her feet she wore a pair of black ballet flats that made little noise as she walked on the dusty pavement. Looking around she spotted Kensei pointedly ignoring as her as he read over a magazine.

Sighing, Sayomi made her way to the hidden stairwell that would lead her to the large desert like room underneath them. Once downstairs, she climbed to the top of one of the large boulders before sitting cross legged with her hands in her lap and her head held high. She took in a deep relaxing breath and let the now familiar world that Fuyukaze inhabited fill her mind.

Instead of being on a cloud high above the frigid windy mountains they sat in a little alcove in one of the tall mountains, a small fire burning towards the edge of the little shelf that they sat in. An icy wind swirled the slowly falling snow, making little tornadoes out of the white flakes as they fell.

Sayomi leaned back against the cool rock of the mountain and looked over at Fuyukaze who was standing near the lip of their small hideaway, he was facing her as he leaned nonchalantly against the rocky wall, his face a blank, emotionless mask.

"_You look tired little one,_" he said.

"I don't understand Fuyukaze, why is it so wrong for me to mourn for those I lost," Sayomi asked sadly.

"_It isn't that you mourn for those you lost, I think in someway he feels you mourn for what you can no longer have and he feels he cannot make you happy when you yearn for something that he cannot give you_," Fuyukaze replied.

"He does make me happy though."

"_I know that Sayomi-sama, but have you told him that? You two have always fought on this day, but neither one of you have ever tried to speak civilly about it_."

"Well it's hard to speak civilly to someone who's stubborn and won't listen because he's too busy yelling and trying to pop a vein in his forehead," Sayomi stated.

Fuyukaze smirked lightly at her and raised a white eyebrow. "_Are you talking about you or your-_"

"Oh shush, you know I meant Kensei," Sayomi retorted.

"_I know Sayomi-sama, but you weren't exactly being easy to deal with. You usually aren't_," he added under his breath.

Sayomi glared at the beautiful man for a moment before shaking her head and sighing, "Yes well, I may not be perfect but he has always known that. So he can either accept me as I am, past love and all or he can find himself another girl to be over protective of."

"_He loves you, but you don't always make it easy on the poor boy. Talk to him._"

"I know but-"

Sayomi's eyes flew open as she was jolted from her inner world back to the desert like room. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared up at the person who had so rudely interrupted her meditation.

"What the hell's yer deal," Hiyori asked rudely as she stared down at Sayomi, her hands crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face.

"Do you have a problem, Hiyori, I was busy," Sayomi spoke quietly but coldly, her voice barely above a deadly whisper.

"Yeah, I got a problem. You," Hiyori said while she drew her zanpakuto from its sheath that was strapped to her back.

Sayomi remained sitting where she was, her face was blank but her eyes seemed to take on a slightly whiter tint as they narrowed slightly. "Unless you have a death wish, I'd put that away."

Hiyori snorted. "I ain't scared of you. I'm gonna beat some sense into that pretty little head of yers. Kensei deserves someone better than your snobby ass."

A freezing wind stirred around Sayomi, whipping her ponytail around her as she stared coldly at the blond girl before her. "You shouldn't stick your nose in other people's business, it might get lost."

"I don't know what he sees in you, you're a stuck up wanna be noble who can't get over another stupid stuck up noble. You don't care about Kensei, you just want all the attention you can get."

The wind around Sayomi sped up slightly and clear crystals of ice began to form in the air and on the dirt around her. "I suggest you learn to keep your mouth shut before I help you," Sayomi said.

"That noble ass is dead, get over it," Hiyori snapped. "You have someone who cares about you, but you don't give a shit! You're too busy whining and sulking like a little girl about a guy who wouldn't marry you!"

There was a loud booming sound like thunder that echoed through the large chamber and the ground trembled, lose rocks tumbled and fell from their places to crash loudly onto the dirt floor.

Everyone that had been above in the warehouse felt the tremors and heard the violent crash instantly disappeared from where they had been to stand in a semi circle to the left of where Hiyori was picking herself up off the ground, wiping the blood that was trickling out of the corner of her mouth with her hand. She was glaring heatedly up at Sayomi, who was still perched on the boulder, her legs crossed and her face cold and indifferent.

"What the hell happened, Sayomi," Kensei barked up at her.

Sayomi slowly moved her eyes from Hiyori to Kensei, who upon seeing the frosty sheen in her eyes frowned. "She wanted a fight, I showed her she's no match for me. I didn't even have to draw my zanpakuto. How disappointing," she said blankly.

Hiyori bristled at the insult and growled as she grabbed her zanpakuto from its spot beside her.

Sayomi scoffed as Hiyori charged wildly at her, there was an ear-splitting screech as metal met rock. Hiyori had sliced downwards at Sayomi, but instead of connecting with her target the white haired girl vanished and she struck the boulder she had been sitting on.

"You're slow," Sayomi taunted monotonously from the ground behind her.

"Knock this shit off," Kensei growled at Sayomi as he walked forward grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the stairs.

"Screw off Kensei, I'm teaching your little _princess_ a lesson," Hiyori yelled before leaping off the rock.

Sayomi didn't move as the blade of Hiyori's sword neared her, instead she smirked and calmly raised a hand, grabbing the blade and twisting it out of her hands before tossing it aside like a toy. "You can't touch me, so let it go or I will kill you."

"That's what you think," Hiyori growled as the air around her head began to distort and a white substance began to coalesce and form a large rhinoceros mask with a single horn on the forehead.

"That's enough Hiyori," Shinji said as he stepped forward and walked towards Hiyori.

"Butt out baldy,"Hiyori shouted before slapping him with a sandal and retrieving her sword.

"Move," Sayomi ordered Kensei who was still gripping onto her arm.

"No, you're coming with me, this is stupid, Sayomi."

"In that case... Sorry, but this is going to hurt," Sayomi said.

Kensei scowled at her before she bent at the waist, twisting her hand from his grasp and shoving one palm into his stomach causing him fly backwards a few feet before landing in a crouch.

"Now," Sayomi said as she held her right arm out to her side, her bracelet jingling and sparkling in the light. "Breathe, Fuyukaze."

There was a gust of wind that rustled Sayomi's clothes and hair as her bracelet seemed to shatter into millions of tiny pieces that looked like snow, that swirled around her wrist to collect in her raised hand. The flakes of ice formed a sword with the purest silver blade and a beautiful deep blue and silver hilt. Grasping the hilt of the sword lightly the blade of the sword was raised so that it was perpendicular to her body, the way she held it was as if the sword was an extension of her arm.

The eyes of several of the people watching narrowed and watched her cautiously, Shinji and Kensei both tried to take a step forward but were stopped when Sayomi brought her zanpakuto before her, she loosened her grip on the hilt of the sword allowing it to to arc downwards in her hand, with a light flip of her fingers, she spun the blade around her hand and regrasped the hilt. A sharp, biting wind began to whisper around her and Hiyori, creating a circular barrier of wind between them and the seven others.

"They can't help you now," Sayomi said evenly.

"Like I need their help," Hiyori scoffed, her voice distorted through the mask that covered her face.

"This is ridiculous we have to stop this," Kensei shouted at Shinji.

"Let them be," Shinji said as he watched the brewing storm.

"You can't be-"

"They've never gotten along, let 'em fight it out. Hiyori needs to learn there is a reason why Sayomi was a captain and she wasn't," Shinji replied.

"Hiding behind your mask, you must be scared Hiyori, I hadn't even called upon my zanpakuto yet," Sayomi taunted.

"Shut yer trap," Hiyori shouted before charging at Sayomi.

There were screeches of metal on metal and showers of sparks as the two girls fought inside the churning barrier of wind.

"Really, this is quite boring. If I wanted to play pretend with a useless twit I would have fought Shinji," Sayomi said as she dodged another blow from Hiyori effortlessly and with a look of boredom on her face.

"Hey," Shinji shouted. "That ain't very nice!"

Hiyori was panting slightly as she glared at Sayomi who hadn't even broken a visible sweat. "How many times do I have ta tell ya to shut yer damn mouth!"

"You're annoying," Sayomi said as leapt over the blade of Hiyori's sword, flipping in the air and landing in a crouch right behind her. Hiyori's eyes widened just as Sayomi placed her hands on the ground and stuck her foot out behind her, landing a kick to the middle of Hiyori's back. The blond girl was thrown into the air and crashed into a the flat side of a large boulder sending sprays of dirt into the air.

"Damn you, you'll pay for that," Hiyori yelled as she pulled herself from the rubble of the broken boulder.

Sayomi remained impassive as the girl shouted at her, "Are you just going to keep yelling or are you going to actually fight me," she asked.

"Oh, I'll fight ya," Hiyori growled.

"Sayomi isn't taking this seriously," Lisa said as she watched the white haired girl leap to the side to avoid an attack.

"That's a good thing remember, Sayomi scares _me_ when she fights seriously," Kensei said.

Sayomi leapt aside as Hiyori's blade sliced through the air to the right of her face, she then raised her sword to block the attack that was now aimed for her stomach. Her eyes narrowed when she realized the blond girl was beginning to unleash more reiatsu and that the blade of her sword was slowly being pushed down.

"I ain't gonna lose to you," Hiyori said as she continued to push against Sayomi's sword.

"You don't have a choice," Sayomi replied as she grunted and pulled her sword downward, pushing Hiyori back and shallowly cutting her shoulder.

Hiyori immediately leapt back towards Sayomi who spun to her left, but that was what Hiyori had expected her to do. Sayomi bent backwards and tilted her head but she couldn't fully evade the blade of Hiyori's sword. She hissed as the tip of the blade glided over her cheek.

"Ain't so pretty now, are ya? That noble ass definitely wouldn't want you now," Hiyori jeered.

Sayomi had had enough, she felt the thin line of blood seeping from the cut to her right cheek and the warmth of her blood as it dripped from her chin and down her neck. She growled before disappearing in a flurry of white wind.

There was a collective gasp as Hiyori also disappeared from where she had been just seconds before. There was a loud crash and all eyes widened when they saw that Sayomi had pinned Hiyori to the sheer face a tall cliff, her hand tightly grasping the blonde's neck while her sword was pressed against her throat.

"I've had enough of your disrespect, if you have something you want to say then say it now before I really do kill you," Sayomi hissed coldly as she removed her sword from the girls neck, leaving a thin red line of blood where it had lightly brushed across her skin. She released her grip on Hiyori's neck as well, letting the girl fall to the ground.

Hiyori snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'll disrespect you as much as I feel like. You treat Kensei like crap, all you care about is that Kuchiki pretty boy that's nothing but dust. The guy's dead, get over it. It's not like he actually planned on marrying you anyways, his family wouldn't let him, isn't that the real reason the wedding was constantly put off. You weren't good enough for him, and ya ain't good enough for Kensei. Yer just a nobody with no real family and no name of yer own."

Sayomi's reiatsu flared and Hiyori gasped in surprise. "You shouldn't speak of the dead so disrespectfully," Sayomi said as her hand shot out, once again grabbing Hiyori by the throat and raising her off the ground.

"Shinji," Kensei shouted.

"I know. Let's go."

"He's dead it ain't like he can do anything about it," Hiyori snapped.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed and her reiatsu skyrocketed, causing what little air Hiyori had left in her lungs to be expelled in a quick breath. The zanpakuto she had still managed to hold on to dropped from her hands as Sayomi slammed the girl back in to the cliff and began to raise her zanpakuto. The hollow mask on Hiyori's face began to crack and fall to the ground in pieces as she raised her hands to try and pry Sayomi's hand from her throat. "No, but I can."

"That's enough," Kensei said as he appeared beside Sayomi, he had a hold of her right wrist, while the others circled her, all their zanpakuto drawn and at her throat.

A bitter laugh escaped Sayomi's lips as she jerked her hand from Kensei's grasp and dropped a gasping Hiyori to the ground. She turned to Kensei and eyed him coldly before turning on her heel and walking away from the eight people who she had lived with for over eighty years.

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted after her.

She ignored him, instead opting to raise her zanpakuto out to her side. It shattered into a flurry of snowy flakes and swarmed around her wrist. There was a small flash as her silver bracelet reappeared and caught the artificial light of the basement.

"Sayomi," he shouted again.

She paused to look back at him briefly before facing forward again and disappearing, leaving only a few flakes of snow that floated in the air in her place.

_End flashback_

"It was over you. The fight was about you, Kensei. Not Byakuya. I thought you knew that, the way I reacted in the end was over her disrespect for a dead man, a man I had loved."

Kensei snorted quietly.

"You may not like the fact that I loved him, but I did. I had to get over his death, you have to get over the fact that I loved someone else. You knew way before we became involved, of my relationship with him, so it should be no surprise to you that I would get angry over someone disrespecting his name, yours as well," Sayomi said as she stood up and dusted herself off. "If you can't come to terms with what you already knew, I have no interest in being near you. I can go back to pretending nothing happened just like I did for the month and a half I was here last time. We were friends before we were anything more and we always will be."

Sayomi turned her back to him and began to walk away.

"It wasn't that you loved someone else," Kensei said causing her to pause, but not turn around to face him. "But that fact you never got over him. You still love him, the way you reacted when you realized he was alive was proof of that."

"I already told you, a part of me will always love him, but he's moved on and so have I. Yes, it hurt to find he had married and the way he spoke to me was so cold it was like having someone stab you and then pour salt over the wound. What did you expect though, I thought he was dead, Kensei, I was angry over the lie that was told. I can understand it, but it doesn't make it right. It made me doubt everything I felt because I felt like I had betrayed him, my fiance was alive and for so long I had wanted nothing but to be back in his arms," she paused here and sighed.

"What," Kensei asked.

Sayomi tilted her head up and looked at the dark ceiling above her. "I love him Kensei, but I am not in love with him. Learning he was alive was a huge shock, it's not everyday that someone returns from the dead. It was like it loosened a brick in a shaky wall and everything I believed came crashing down on me. I began to think that everything I felt was a lie and I was lost. I didn't know what to think. It hurt to find he was married and the way he spoke to me nearly made me cry, but the whole time I faced him I didn't feel the need to run to him. I didn't feel the same pull I used to feel for him. It was later that I finally realized... I wasn't hurt because I loved him, I was hurt because I thought that was how I should feel. I was just so surprised that my feelings and emotions were all jumbled and confused."

Sayomi sighed and turned back to Kensei, she walked back to him and stood over him, one foot on either side of him. She lowered herself down so that she was on her knees, straddling his lap. Kensei refused to look at her and was instead staring up at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Placing both of her small hands on his cheeks, she made him tilt his head down so that he was looking right at her, their noses only a few centimeters apart.

"I'm sorry Kensei, that I was never the woman you deserved, but I gave my heart to you a long time ago and I don't intend to take it back. I love you," Sayomi whispered before closing the distance between their lips and kissing him softly. She pulled away from him just as quickly as she had kissed him and began to stand, but instead she found herself being pulled back down.

"Where do you think you're going," he asked.

She smiled softly. "I'm sorry, Ken- eek!"

"Shut up," he groaned, rolling his eyes at her. He had pulled her onto his lap and flickered her in the forehead.

"I was only trying to apolo-"

"I said shut up," he barked at her as he flicked her in the forehead again. "You talk too damn much."

"Sor-"

"Knock it off!"

"Stop flicking me you damn oaf!"

"Only if you stop your whining!"

"Urgh, you're such a jerk!"

Love sighed as the raised voices of Sayomi and Kensei floated down from the top level of the warehouse. "Well, they're back to normal."

"Took 'em long enough," Shinji said from his perch on the couch.

"Well, if you hadn't lied to her a lot of this wouldn't have happened you know," Lisa said from behind the cover of one of her many perverted magazines.

"Hey, I was only trying to help!"

"Well, next time," Sayomi said as she appeared behind the couch and smacked him upside the head, sending him face first into the floor. "Don't!"

"Let's go Sayomi, it might rain we need to get to your apartment before then, it would be nice to be back before then too," Kensei called to her from near the large rolling door of the warehouse.

"Behave yerselves," Shinji drawled after her as she walked away.

"Come on," Kensei growled, grabbing Sayomi's arm as she turned to try and smack Shinji again.

"Everything seems to be going back to how it used to be, Sayomi and Kensei seem to be happy again," Rose said.

"You call that happy," Love asked as he jerked a thumb at the two mentioned as they argued by the doorway.

"Don't ya remember how they were when they first got together?" Shinji asked.

"Ugh, yeah. It was like being around a bunch of love struck teenagers. For like a week anyways, then that became the norm," Love replied as he glanced at the pair again.

"Kensei always had a soft spot for Sayomi, as she did for him. They always fought though, it makes them happy in some strange, twisted way," Rose said with a sigh.

* * *

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10 When It Rains

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**When It Rains**

Sayomi came walking into the warehouse, it was late evening and a storm had begun to pelt sheets of rain down on the quiet city a little while before. She was soaking wet and shivering as she made her way to the back of the warehouse and through a doorway that led to the rooms that were used for bedrooms as well as a few bathrooms.

Her hair clung to her face as little droplets of cold rain slid down her cheek to drip onto the concrete floor of the warehouse. Her kimono stuck uncomfortably to her body as she walked away from the group of people who were watching her as she wordlessly passed them all by.

"It's been five years, do you think she'll ever get over it," Love asked as she disappeared through the dark doorway.

"Who knows, she never really accepted being here and we've been here for what almost fifteen years now," Kensei replied.

"That's a little different though, the man she loved was still alive then. I think she's always hoped that someday things would go back to the way they were," Rose said softly.

"It ain't gonna happen, the sooner she realizes that the better. I'm tired of watching her sulk all the time," Kensei said.

"Ya make it sound like ya like her Kensei," Shinji drawled.

"I don't like her, I hate her. Stuck up pain in the ass," he grumbled.

"Uh huh," Lisa, Love and Rose said at the same time.

"Oh, shove it," Kensei barked as he stood up from the chair he had been in to stalk through the same door Sayomi had disappeared through.

* * *

"Would you knock that shit off," Kensei snapped at Sayomi causing her to jump slightly.

"What," she asked as she turned to look at him from her spot on the ground in front of the door, she had been watching the rain as it fell. It had been raining for a whole week now and she had spent most of that time curled up by the door, watching as the different size drops fell from the dark gray sky and collided with the wet earth. She had always loved the rain, watching it, listening to it and the smell of the fresh water.

"You've been sitting there all week, like some lost kitten. Stop moping around already, it's depressing," Kensei said.

"Oh, sorry to have to disturbed you, oh happy one," Sayomi replied in a mix of sarcasm and coldness.

"Just knock it off," he grumbled.

"Whatever," she said quietly as she stood from the ground and walked away, back to her room.

"What was that about, Kensei," Love asked.

"Nothing, I'm just sick of her attitude."

"You mean the lack of it? You and her haven't gotten along so well in the last few years, have ya," Shinji asked as he tilted his head back to look at Kensei from the couch.

"I don't think they ever got along to begin with," Love said.

"That's how they liked it, if they weren't fightin', they weren't happy," Shinji said.

Kensei stood abruptly from his seat and disappeared through the doorway in the back of the large warehouse.

Her room was small, just like they all were. She had few things in the space aside from a dresser, a bed and a few stacks of books. There was one small window in the back of the room and she stared blankly out it as the rain outside continued to fall.

Sayomi had just finished changing into a pair of dark blue hakama and a sleeveless white top when her door opened without warning, she whirled around to face the intruder.

"What do you want," she hissed coldly.

"I want you to stop acting like such a baby."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. All this moping and slouching around like you have nothing to live for is getting annoying. Where's the Sayomi that we all knew, because this sure as hell ain't her," Kensei snapped.

"She's dead, remember," she snapped back. "Died a long time ago when she went to help rescue some of her comrades."

"You make it sound like you didn't want to help."

"If I had known what was going to happen, then I wouldn't have," Sayomi shouted. "I lost everything because-"

"Like we didn't," Kensei raged. "This isn't all about you, Sayomi. Pull your head out of your ass and move on."

"Mind your own damned business, Kensei! I know this isn't all about me, I'm not the only one who was forced from their home after being changed into a monster. I know that, but I lost more than just my home and you know that, so get the hell out and leave me alone," she yelled, as tears began to from in the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away angrily and glared Kensei.

"If you need to cry, then cry. Just get over it already, Sayomi. You knew a long time ago that things would never be the same again," Kensei said.

"Leave me alone, Kensei," she said as she turned away from him to stare up at the single small window in the tiny room.

"Why can't you move on, Sayomi?"

"Because, I have nothing to look forward to now aside from killing the bastards that ruined my... our, lives."

"And then what? After they're dead, what will you do then?"

"Leave me alone," she said quietly.

"No."

"Dammit Kensei, what the hell is your problem? I'm not hurting any of you, I keep my distance and leave you all alone, so do me a favor and do the-"

Her words where cut off when Kensei spun her around to face him, his face a few inches above hers as they glared at each other.

"My problem is that you're just giving up. Nothing went the way it was supposed to for you, well too damn bad, nothing went as it was supposed to for any of us. But you don't see us giving up, we're making the best out of what we've got. You're not Sayomi, she wouldn't give up so easily, she's too stubborn, but you, you're pathetic," Kensei said as he released her and made to leave.

"I'm pathetic," she barked.

"That's what I said, care to prove me wrong?"

"Screw you, Kensei, what the hell do you know? I don't give a damn what you think, my life isn't any concern of yours, so butt the hell out already," she snapped.

"See, that's a little more like the Sayomi I know," Kensei said.

"Whatever, just get out before I make you."

"A threat, huh? Not too scary coming from a pathetic little cry baby."

Kensei caught Sayomi's fist as it shot towards his face, she cried out in anger and wrenched her fist away from him as she lifted her right leg to kick him in the stomach. He blocked her easily, simply raising his arms to knock her away.

"Jeez, is that all you've got? What a let down," he taunted.

"Shut up," she screamed at him as she launched herself at him again. She kicked and punched and spun but never landed a hit on Kensei who was looking rather bored as he swatted her limbs away from him like he was swatting a fly.

An angry snarl escaped her lips as she took a step back before lunging at him again when he yawned. Her fist collided with his stomach, sending him back a few steps, she spun on her left foot as she raised her right in an attempt to hit his ribs and knock him down. He caught her, however, and twisted her leg. She growled but jumped as he twisted her body, using the momentum to spin in the air and land on all fours, her head tilted up, an angry scowl on her face.

"Feel any better," Kensei asked.

She growled again before snapping upright and tossing her right fist out towards his head, he turned aside as her fist glided passed his cheek and caught her left fist as she threw that at him as well. He grabbed her right wrist before she could throw another punch at him and pushed her back into one of the bare, hard walls of her room.

"Let go of me you bastard," she spat as she struggled against him.

"No, now stop bottling everything up and just let go already. You're not alone, regardless of what you think."

"Let me go," she argued as she continued to struggle against Kensei's taller and much larger frame.

"You don't get it do you?" Kensei asked the angry girl he had pinned between himself and the wall.

"Get what, that you're a meddling-"

Sayomi's eyes widened and she stopped struggling as Kensei's lips crashed down on to hers.

"What the hell," she yelled as she shoved him off and wiped a hand across her mouth.

"You may think you're not hurting any of us Sayomi, but you're wrong."

Sayomi just stared at him for a few seconds, breathing hard from the fight and the struggle to get out of Kensei's grip. Once her senses seemed to return, so did all of her anger, the numbness she had felt for as long as she could remember was swept away by the violent rush of emotion. With her anger came every other emotion that she had locked away to be replaced by the blissful numbness that she had let herself wallow in. She hadn't wanted to face reality, but here it was kissing her and telling her things she didn't want to hear, true or not.

She needed to let it all go, it would consume and devour her if she did not.

Kensei watched her as she seemed to shrink and then fall to the floor in a heap, her shoulders bowed and shaking as quiet sobs racked through her body.

Sayomi let Kensei sit next to her and pull her into a warm embrace as she unleashed all the emotions and sadness she had kept bottled up for so long. The rain outside her window intensified and her room was filled with the sounds of the rain as it pounded relentlessly into the warehouse.

* * *

"How are you feeling," a voice asked.

"Ugghh," was all Sayomi could manage as she raised a hand to her throbbing temples.

"Well, you look like shit."

Sayomi growled and blinked her eyes open to glare at Kensei who was sitting on the edge of her bed staring at her.

"What are you doing here," she asked, she had tried to sound mean and cold but her voice was gravelly and worn.

"Making sure you were ok," he answered.

"I'm fine, so leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, you need to learn that you have people who are going through some of the same things as you. We're here to help, Sayomi."

"I don't need your help, Kensei, or your pity now go-"

"Pity?! Who the hell said I pitied you? I said you were pathetic, not that I pitied your sorry ass!"

"I'm not pathetic," she snapped as she tried to push herself up only to fall back on to her pillow with a groan as her head throbbed even more.

"Uh huh."

"Oh shut up," she grumbled.

"No."

"What's with the wanna be caring attitude, it doesn't suit you," Sayomi said after a few minutes of silence.

"Someone has to look out for you, you can't seem to do it yourself."

"Are you just going to keep insulting me, because if so I'm not in the mood so go away and bug someone else."

"I don't want to."

"Fine, do whatever you want," Sayomi said as she rolled over to face away from him.

Sayomi opened her eyes after a few minutes of ignoring the fact that she could feel Kensei's eyes on her back. She grabbed her pillow from under her head and whacked him with it, sending him to the floor.

"What the hell?!"

"Stop staring at me you damn pervert!"

"I wasn't staring at you! And pervert? I'm not a pervert!"

"What do you call watching a girl while she's trying to sleep?!"

"I wasn't watching you, why would I wanna watch you?!"

"I dunno, you kissed me last night, so you must feel something for me," she shouted.

"You must have lost your mind, I can't stand you," Kensei shot back.

"Well good, because old men aren't really my type," Sayomi retorted.

"Who you callin' old, shrimp?!"

"Shrimp?!" Sayomi screeched as she sat up, her headache completely forgotten as she glared at him as he stood from the ground, she stood up herself so that she didn't have to look up at him.

"What, can't you see me from down there?"

Sayomi growled and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Enough with the violence woman!"

"Don't you woman me, Kensei!" she shouted as she as she put her hands on her hips and stared at him, a slight red tint to her cheeks from the yelling.

"What are ya gonna do about it, shrimp?"

Sayomi growled and lunged at Kensei, she tried to punch him but he moved and pushed her back. She threw another punch but he grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her.

"Are you done yet, this is getting annoying. Like fighting a little kid," he asked.

She threw her elbow back into his stomach earning a grunt and making him release her arm. She spun around to face him and to throw another punch but instead she found herself grabbing his shirt and yanking him down before pressing her lips to his in a rough kiss.

Kensei was a little surprised but responded eagerly and pushed her back into the wall behind her. Her hands snaked around his neck, while his hands found their way to her waist, he pulled her closer to him causing a small gasp to escape her lips at the roughness. Her head tilted back and Kensei trailed kiss down her throat to her shoulders making a soft groan escape Sayomi's lips.

Trailing his hands down Sayomi's body, Kensei lifted her up and she wound her legs tightly around him as he held her to him. Their lips met again and Kensei took a step back from the wall, Sayomi's legs tightened around him so she could keep herself upright as he took a few steps towards her bed. He lowered her down and laid over her.

She hesitated and Kensei pulled away from her, looking down at her flushed face and swollen lips in concern.

"I'm sorry, Sayomi," he said as he began to push himself up.

"No," she answered as she grabbed him and pulled him back down, she turned her head away slightly as if embarrassed. "It's just...I'm...I'm...a..."

"Oh," he said, slightly surprised, she was trying to tell him she was a virgin, something he hadn't expected. "We don't have-"

"I want to," she said before he could and pulling his lips back down to hers as she slipped her hands under his shirt and began to tug it over his head.

"Are you-"

"Stop being a gentleman, Kensei, it's annoying," she interrupted breathlessly as she ran her hands over his muscular chest and traced the '69' tattoo on his abdomen with her finger.

"I'm just-"

"Shut up," she ordered as she bit his bottom lip before kissing him deeply.

It seemed like hours that they kissed and let their hands roam over each other, exploring one another as their clothes slowly disappeared, leaving nothing between them.

Sayomi was lost in in the feel of Kensei's hands on her body as he pressed against her and kissed her in places that awoke a fire inside her she had never experienced.

"Are you sure," he whispered as he nipped lightly at her ear.

She nodded, her voice was gone and she wasn't sure she would ever get it back.

She felt his fingers entwine with hers as he pinned her arms above her head, gently though not forcefully.

"This might hurt," he said softly as he looked his eyes on hers.

Her hands tightened on his ever so slightly and she nodded. An instant later she had to squeeze her eyes shut as pain lanced through her body, she cried out and her eyes watered. Kensei kissed her gently and lightly squeezed her hands in reassurance.

If it hadn't been for the pain, a part of her thought the sensation of her body connecting with Kensei's might have been enjoyable, but the feeling of her insides being on fire was too much. A tear escaped her closed eyes and trailed down the side of her face.

Seeing the tear escape her eyes, Kensei released her hands and brushed it away with his thumb as he pressed his forehead to Sayomi's. Her eyes fluttered open and the moment their eyes met Sayomi smiled and wrapped her arms around Kensei pulling him down so that nearly every inch of their bodies were touching. She kissed the side of his neck before burying her head into his shoulder. Kensei's hands entangled themselves in her long hair and he tugged lightly, getting a soft moan from Sayomi in response as he brought her face back to his and pressed his lips against hers hungrily. As the kiss deepened so did their breathing and Sayomi could feel a new warmth building within her, this one was far from painful and she couldn't help but to dig her fingers into Kensei's back as the pleasurable feeling washed over her. She felt Kensei tug on her hair as his body stiffened and his back arched upwards, a small cry tore threw her lips as she felt her own body respond and her head tilted back as her back arched up and off the bed for a moment.

Kensei remained on top of her kissing her face and neck as she breathed raggedly, his hands were still buried in her hair and she was loosely clutching on to him. Now that everything had slowed and the euphoria of having been so lost in the feelings of what they were doing were wearing off, the pain between Sayomi's legs was once again very noticeable and she shifted her position under Kensei. Withdrawing slowly from her, Kensei laid on his side and pulled Sayomi to him, her eyes had closed and a few stray tears had found their way from the pale blue orbs and silently rolled down her beautifully flushed face.

"Are you alright," he asked, his voice was unusually caring and warm as he held her to him and kissed her forehead.

She swallowed and nodded. "I'm fine."

Noticing that she was shivering, he reached down and pulled Sayomi's blue sheets and beige blanket over them. After pulling the blankets over them, he rested his arm over Sayomi's waist as she curled into his chest. They remained like this until Sayomi's breathing evened and she fell asleep in his arms. Kensei was awake for awhile longer, watching her as she slept peacefully, her lips parted slightly and a glow on her cheeks that he hadn't seen there before.

* * *

Kensei yawned and stretched but quickly realized he wasn't in his bed and there was something warm next to him. Lifting his head he turned to see that Sayomi was beside him, she lay on her side facing away from him, one hand under head and the other loosely clutching her blue sheet over her naked chest. A small smile found its way to his face, a genuine smile, not something usually seem on Kensei as he brushed a few strands of her white hair from her forehead before kissing her head softly.

Doing his best not to wake her, he got out of the bed and got dressed before quietly leaving the room.

* * *

Sayomi fidgeted in her sleep and slowly blinked her eyes open, she rolled onto her back and sighed when she saw that Kensei had already gone. She clutched the sheets over her bare chest and and closed her eyes.

'He left, after all the things that happened last night, what we did, he just left without saying anything.'

She didn't know whether she should be angry or hurt or even if she should feel anything at all. There had never been anything between them but friendship before, she didn't know why she thought one night would change that, or if she even wanted that to change. She didn't know what had come over her the night before, but she knew she didn't regret it. Somehow in the midst of fighting and then joining together so intimately she had found the parts of herself that had been gone for so long. She had always known that she would need to move on, she just never wanted to do it alone and she wouldn't admit it. She thought that moving on would mean that she would have to forget everything, but she realized now that wasn't the case, she could remember everything but she could still be happy, something she hadn't thought was possible before then.

'I wonder why he left? Does he not feel-'

Her thoughts were cut off as her door quietly opened. She sat up in her bed, her sheet grasped over herself as she blinked at Kensei as he walked into her dark room, muttering to himself as he tried to shut the door. When he finally did he turned around and looked down at her.

"You're awake," he said.

"Yeah, where were you," she asked, she frowned at the needy undertone to her voice.

"Coffee," he said as he held a mug out to her.

"Thanks," she said as she took the mug after tucking the sheet around her and securing it under her arms.

She sipped at her beverage quietly, keeping her eyes anywhere that didn't involve looking at Kensei. She didn't know why, but she felt extremely self conscious and a little embarrassed.

"Do you want me to leave," Kensei asked sensing her discomfort but taking it as more of a rejection.

"Huh? No, I just.. I feel strange is all. After last night."

"Do you regret it?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I feel a little.. I dunno."

Kensei looked at her with her head bowed slightly and he saw the vulnerability in the way she sat and in her eyes as she cast a glance at him. He set his mug down on her dresser and plucked hers from her hands and set it down as well before sitting on the bed next to her and pulling her into a hug.

Sayomi didn't know how to respond, she tensed slightly in surprise and her eyes widened.

"Kensei?" she questioned.

"I won't hurt you."

She gasped at his words but couldn't think of anything to say so she remained quiet and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you," Sayomi said quietly after a few minutes.

A little surprised by the statement Kensei tried to look down at Sayomi but her head was tilted so that her forehead was pressed against his chest and he couldn't see much of her face.

"For what," he asked.

"For everything. I'm sorry I've been such a pathetic mess."

"Don't worry about it, just knock it off, alright?"

"Alright...Kensei?"

"What now?"

"Why... why did you..."

"Isn't it fairly obvious now," he asked as he tilted her head up and kissed her forehead again.

Sayomi smiled. "Who knew the ape was capable of being such a softy," she said.

"Shut up before I kick your ass."

"Like you could jackass."

"Nice to have you back," he replied after a few second pause.

Sayomi smiled. "It might take a little while, but I think I can start getting over it all now and move on to new things."

"Good. I don't want to have to beat you senseless again."

"Actually you didn't beat me senseless, I remember being the one hitting you," Sayomi replied.

"Well I might not have beaten you up, but I remember you not being able to talk last night."

Sayomi's face turned a bright shade of red and she turned away with a scowl on her face. "Shut up."

"Admit it, I'm the best," Kensei said proudly.

"Well of course you are dumbass, I don't have anything else to compare it to."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That if I don't have anything to compare-"

"You're not sleeping with anyone else, I'll kill him!"

"Jealous much ape man, all I said was that I had nothing to compare it to since I hadn't done it before, so of course you would be the best."

"So I'm the best?" Kensei asked again.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Sayomi stretched and 'accidentally' hit Kensei in the jaw.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Sorry, I was stretching and your big mouth was in the way," she replied blandly.

"Stupid woman," he grumbled.

Sayomi chuckled. "You're the stupid one, you like me."

"Did you just admit you're stupid," Kensei asked.

Sayomi blinked at him for a moment. "Shut up," she mumbled.

"Get up, the rain finally stopped," Kensei said as he stood from the bed.

"Did it?" she asked as she glanced back, out her window, sure enough she could see a few rays of the bright morning sunshine.

"Yeah, stopped sometime last night. Now come on, you're going to stop moping and have breakfast with everyone."

"Alright, alright," Sayomi said as she scooted to the edge of the bed the sheet still clutched over her. She looked at Kensei and raised her brows at him.

"What," he asked.

"Get out," she said.

"Why?"

"Because I said so, now out," she said as she laughed for the first time in a long time and stood from her bed and pushed Kensei from her room.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Sayomi had showered and changed into clean clothes as she made her way into the little area that was used as a sort of living room. There was a table and a few chairs as well as a couch and a few pillows to sit on.

Looking around, she saw that Kensei was cooking as everyone else sat around, waiting for the food to be done so they could eat. She walked up beside Kensei who glanced at her curiously, she just smiled and helped him finish the cooking without a word.

After the meal was done they all went about their usual day. Sitting around the warehouse doing anything they could think of to relieve the boredom they felt.

Sayomi sat beside Kensei and leaned against his shoulder to read the newspaper he was reading. Wordlessly, he handed her a random section which she took before laying down, placing her head on his legs and holding the newspaper out before her.

The fact that Sayomi actually smiled didn't escape anyone's attention, the fact that she was practically glued to Kensei for the next few days didn't either. No one minded really though, the fact that they seemed to be off in their own world, they were happy for them. It had been so long since Sayomi had laughed and smiled and slowly she was becoming the Sayomi they all knew and missed. Of course that also meant that the loud, opinionated and stubborn Sayomi was frequently butting heads with the stubborn and quick to anger Kensei, they would argue a lot but they always seemed to be enjoying it, the hints of smiles on their lips.

* * *

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11 And So It Begins

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 11 **

**And So It Begins**

Sayomi was perched on the edge of one of the walls that lined the roof of the warehouse, her legs hung over the edge and her ankles were crossed as she stared out over Karakura Town in the waning daylight. Her white hair was parted in the middle and pulled into two sections that were twisted and clipped together at the back of her head, allowing most of her white locks to twist and whirl around her shoulders. She wore a pair of gray slacks with white pin stripes and a white tank top under a loose, black, knit sweater that she held closed over herself to block out the chill of the coming night. Her feet were bare and she swung them back and forth slowly as her head tilted up to the purple tinted evening sky.

"Come inside already, you've been there for almost a week straight," Kensei said as he walked through the doorway that led the roof and towards Sayomi.

She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled lightly before turning back around, "I'm just distracted. Sorry, I don't mean to ignore everyone."

"What's distracting you?" Kensei asked as he walked behind Sayomi and wrapped his arms around her before resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Nothing important, I'm just thinking too much is all," she replied, but the worry was noticeable in her voice along with a trace of what could have been fear.

Kensei frowned and looked down at the top of Sayomi's head, she was definitely worried about something, but what would make her seem scared? Sayomi wasn't one who scared easily.

"Come on," he said as he stepped back from the wall she was sitting on.

"Just a little longer," she answered quietly, her dulcet voice barely carrying on the wind as she spoke. "Let me sit in this fleeting peace just a little longer."

Kensei nodded even though he knew she couldn't see it, but knew that she would sense his agreement. He stared at her back for a few moments, unsure if he should go to her again or just leave her be, he decided to leave her be. She was so lost in thought, she had been ever since she had come back the week before. He figured it had something to do with the boy she had been with the day of the festival, the one that had the reiatsu of a Soul Reaper but who was in fact quite human. His reiatsu had vanished later that night, he didn't think the boy was dead and something told him that was what worried her. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead and she was waiting for affirmation of one or the other. That fact didn't bother him, he knew Sayomi harbored no feelings for the boy but he was a friend to her, and her friends meant a lot to her even if she rarely showed it. There was also something that told him that the war they had been waiting to fight for a hundred years was now drawing near, that Sayomi knew that, and was only trying to bask in what was left of the tranquil days before the violence started. She had never liked violence and hated fighting unless it was necessary, if it was, then you could be sure that she wouldn't lose easily.

Sayomi sighed after Kensei left the roof and looked around the city once again.

'The war has begun, I felt it earlier. There was a shift in spirit pressures, Aizen now stands in Hueco Muendo, as king of the hollow realm until he can stand upon a throne that no one has ever dared to try and take. He will take it by force and this is meant to be the battle ground, the city is innocent though,' she thought to herself as she turned her body and lifted her feet back over the wall so that her feet dangled a few inches above the roof.

She stepped down nimbly and didn't cast another look back at the city as she walked towards the door. "Whatever it takes, I will protect this city, and most importantly, the people in it."

Everyone looked up as Sayomi walked back into the main area of the warehouse, her large knit sweater still clutched over her. She smiled before walking to where Kensei sat at the table with Rose and Love playing a game of cards, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before sitting on the ground by his feet and resting her head on his leg. Kensei looked at her oddly for a moment, such forward acts of affection, in front of the others was rare for her, after a moment he shook it off and went back to his game.

* * *

Sayomi looked up from the manga she had borrowed from Rose and cocked her head to the side, she blinked a few times before standing from the couch. She dropped the book in her hands on Shinji's head, he had been sprawled out on the floor by the couch since Sayomi and Kensei had made him move so they could sit down.

"Gah," Shinji yelled as the book collided with his forehead and he swung his arms out as if trying to defend himself from unseen attackers.

"Sorry," Sayomi mumbled distractedly as she stared out into the night beyond the large open door of the warehouse.

"What is I,t Sayomi," Kensei asked in concern as he tried to reach for her hand to get her attention since she seemed to be so deeply focused on something.

"They're back," she mumbled as a small frown crossed her face and worry creased her brow, "But... Uryu.."

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted as Sayomi bolted from the spot she had been standing in.

"What the hell was that about," Shinji asked as he sat up, absently rubbing the red mark on his forehead.

"I don't know," Kensei answered as he stared after, contemplating whether or not he should follow her.

* * *

"What happened," Sayomi asked as she appeared beside Uryu who was just about to walk into his apartment.

"We did what we went to do, rescued Rukia," Uryu replied shortly as he pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"I meant to your powers, something isn't right about them."

"It's none of your concern, now good night," Uryu said as he opened his door and made to step inside.

"Hey," Sayomi said as she stepped forward and stopped him from shutting the door. "What's wrong?"

"You lied."

"Excuse me," Sayomi asked in surprise.

"You're a Soul Reaper."

"I am not," she replied as if the word was repulsive to her.

"You were a captain of the Tenth division, you were counted among the strongest captains and you were engaged to Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's brother. Isn't that all correct," Uryu asked.

"Well yeah, but that was a very long time ago. I am no longer considered a Soul Reaper by Soul Society or by myself. Do they know I-"

"No, they don't know you're alive, at least not that they said. Yoruichi told us about it after Rukia asked her brother who you were, and all he said was that you were dead and to never speak of it again," Uryu answered.

"Oh." was all Sayomi could respond with.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm tired and would like to get some sleep."

"Of course, I'm just glad you're back," Sayomi said as she stepped back form the door with a smile.

"Good night, Sayomi."

"Night."

She sighed and shivered in the chill of the night, she hadn't grabbed a sweater and she was in jeans and a tank top. Turning away from the door, she walked down the street and followed the paths to the alley that would lead her to Urahara's.

"I was wondering when you'd get here, come on in. There's tea ready for us," Urahara said as she turned into the gate that surrounded the little shop to see the blond leaning against the door frame.

Silently, Sayomi followed Urahara into the shop and to the little room off in the back with the round table and comfortable pillows. She sat on a purple pillow and waited as he poured them both a cup of tea.

They remained silent for a few minutes each seeming to be thinking about the situation they found themselves in.

"So.. It's actually begun," Sayomi said as she stared into her tea.

"It would seem that way. Soul Society is preparing to do battle in the winter, that is when the Hogyoku is expected to be fully awakened," Kisuke replied.

"Did he go with them," Sayomi asked, her fist tightening ever so slightly on the green mug in her hands.

"Yes."

There were a few moments of silence as Sayomi thought over something before she looked up at Kisuke, a look of determination in her eyes. "In that case, I will deal with him on my own."

Kisuke looked a little surprised. "How do you-"

"Don't worry about how, I'll do that. You just worry about the orders Soul Society gave you," she cut in, a small knowing smile on her face.

"You're a scary one, you know that," Kisuke said a grin on his face as he looked over at Sayomi.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied innocently.

Kisuke chuckled, but a part of him wondered just what Sayomi was planning on doing. She was a very smart girl and that meant that things weren't always what they seemed with her. She wanted to confront a man from her past, she wanted revenge, but most of all she wanted to protect and possibly restore her pride and the pride of her friends that had fallen because of the things done to them.

* * *

"Where were you?"

Sayomi looked up at Kensei who was in the shadows of the warehouse, sitting on the ground with his back against a concrete wall.

"Urahara's," she answered.

"Why?"

"It's begun."

Kensei looked up at her for a moment before speaking, "I thought so."

"By the way, I plan on going back to school tomorrow," Sayomi said.

"Why?"

Sayomi thought over it for a moment. "I want to keep on eye on something."

"You mean someone."

Sayomi smirked, "Yes, I mean someone."

"What's with the kid Sayomi?" Kensei asked.

"Nothing Kensei, nothing at all," she replied as she walked passed him and into the warehouse.

* * *

Her shoes tapped lightly against the tile of the school hallway as Sayomi tugged at the annoyingly short hem of the skirt she was forced to wear while attending school.

"Can't they at least make the damn things a little longer," she grumbled to herself before cocking her head to the side and looking up as she heard what sounded like running.

"SAAAAYYYYOOOMMMMMIIIIII!!!!"

Sayomi shouted in surprise and jumped behind Ichigo, who had just walked past her with his bag slung carelessly over his shoulder.

"Hey Keigo," he said as he clotheslined the brown haired boy that had been running at Sayomi.

Sayomi poked her head around Ichigo and blinked down at Keigo. "What are you doing down there Keigo," she asked innocently.

"Oh, good morning Sayomi, morning Keigo," Mizuiro said as he walked by the fallen Keigo.

"Hey Mizuiro," Sayomi greeted with a smile.

"I'm gonna kill him," Keigo mumbled from the ground as everyone ignored him and walked around him.

Walking into the classroom, Sayomi returned to her usual seat by the in the back of the room, dropping her bag by the chair she walked over to the group that was forming around an annoyed looking Uryu. Chad was leaning up against the wall and Orihime was talking animatedly as she stood next to Uryu's desk. Ichigo walked up to the group a moment later.

"Hey Ichigo, how are you," she asked. "And what is that?" she asked as she pointed to the weird looking object that hung from his belt, there was a skull with an X over it on it.

"Oh, this a substitute shinigami pass," he said.

"A what?" she asked.

"The Ukitake guy gave it to me," Ichigo said before muttering about the thing being useless.

"I've never heard of anything like that before, but Ukitake's still around, huh? That's nice to know, he was always a such a nice man," Sayomi said thoughtfully.

"Morning Orihime!" a girl with short reddish hair and glasses screeched as she grabbed Orihime from behind.

"Knock it off, Chizuru," Tatsuki said as she walked into the classroom and promptly kicked Chizuru away from Orihime. No one really seemed to think this was odd so with a quick glance over at the group because of the noise they all turned back around and continued with the conversations they had been having.

"Hey, I heard you got home early from vacation, but you were never home when I stopped by," Tatsuki said to Ichigo before looking down at something that had caught her attention, "What's that Ichigo?"

"What, this," Ichigo asked lifting a small charm that had been sewed to his shirt by his dad that morning, "It's a charm."

"I know that, a joke from your dad right?"

"Yeah, how did-"

"It's obvious, who else but that weirdo, would give you something like that," she replied, "But anyways I meant that thing, the thing with the skull on it."

"Huh, oh I bought it at a shop," Ichigo replied as he scratched at his head. "Wait a sec, you can see this?"

Sayomi's eyes cornered over to them and she watched as Tatsuki looked at Ichigo as if he were crazy. She stepped over to somehow change the subject when the door to the classroom opened with a bang and the teacher, Ms Ochi stepped into the room.

"Good morning," the dark haired, glasses wearing teacher sang.

"Ok, now is everyone here," she asked as she went to stand behind the desk at the front of the room, "Oh, hey Himura you're back."

"Yeah, sorry about that Ms Ochi, I-"

"Well that's nice, you were always such a good student, I thought maybe you had been corrupted by some of the hooligans," Ms Ochi interrupted.

"Uhhh, no," Sayomi answered.

"Good, so I have some good news for you. We have a new student today," she said.

Instantly, Sayomi's eyes narrowed at the mention of a new student and she was suddenly very aware of her surroundings and the fact that she hadn't realized that the 'new student' was actually someone she knew.

"I'm gonna kill him," she hissed quietly.

"Uh, did you say something Sayomi," Mizuiro asked from the seat to her left.

"Hmm, oh no," she answered with a sweet smile and shake of her head.

'He's so dead,' she thought to herself.

"Ahh!" she squeaked loudly and put a hand over her chest when the strange badge that had been given to Ichigo started blaring something that sounded like 'hollow' over and over again.

"Are you alright Sayomi," Mizuiro asked as he gave her an odd but concerned look.

"Fine, just uh, I thought I saw a spider," she answered lamely with a small chuckle as Ichigo stood up and ran from the room saying he had to go to the bathroom.

Chad and Orihime stood as well and fled the room even as Sayomi tried to grab Orihime to tell them they should stay, the hollow wasn't a large one and she knew Ichigo could handle it. If he got there first, that is.

* * *

Sayomi had to resist a very strong urge to jump up and smack the blond that was currently in the front of the classroom talking about his hobbies, waving his arms around like he was trying to keep from drowning on the air. Her nails were digging into the desk leaving little scratch marks on the wooden surface.

"There's an open seat in the back by Ichigo and in front of Sayomi," Ms Ochi said pointing the seat that was in front of Sayomi.

Trying her best not to glare viciously at Shinji as he walked to the seat, a moronic grin on his face, Sayomi looked to her left and out the window.

"Ichigo, huh? Looks like we're neighbors. Lets be friends," Shinji said to Ichigo who was in the seat to his left.

"Sit down you fool, you're in the way," Sayomi said coldly earning her a few surprised looks from Ichigo and Chad, who sat to her right.

"Eh, yeah hi," Ichigo replied before nearly jumping out of his skin when the badge at his side once again started screaming at him.

Within seconds he was up and out the door, Ms Ochi yelling after him.

"Don't take it personal, that's just Ichigo," Chad said to Shinji as the blonde sat down.

"He's just as I thought actually," Shinji replied as he cast a quick glance back at Sayomi and smirked.

Her nose flared slightly in her anger and her eyes narrowed. "What," she snapped at him.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shinji," he said conversationally as he stuck a hand out towards her.

"Sayomi," she practically hissed as she tightly gripped his hand.

When classes ended for the day Sayomi stood up abruptly from her seat and grabbed her bag which accidentally happened to hit Shinji in the back as he leaned over to pick up his own bag. He went sprawling on to the floor with a loud shout, Sayomi turned to him and feigned shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry Shinji, I didn't mean to hit you, are you alright," she asked trying to sound genuinely concerned.

"Fine, I'm fine," he replied as he pushed himself up from the ground, a hand covering his bleeding nose that had collided with the floor.

"Good, I wouldn't want to kill you on your first day," she said with a chuckle.

"No, of course not," he agreed as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"Well, sorry about that. See you later," she said with a wave as she turned to leave the classroom.

* * *

Sayomi drummed her fingers across the brown wall behind her as she stood in the shadow of two apartment buildings.

"What's with this school thing? Exams on the first day, that's cruel," she heard someone muttering.

Waiting for the person to walk past her, she stepped from between the buildings and raised her foot and sent it right into the person's behind, sending them flying a few feet before landing with their butt in the air and their face in the dirt.

"Ow! That hurt!"

Sayomi watched with a blank expression, her hands folded over her chest and a single eyebrow raised as the person she kicked turned around to face her.

"What was that for," Shinji asked as he rubbed at his jaw.

Sayomi didn't say anything just stared at him, her fingers drumming against her upper arm.

Shinji gulped. "Now Sayomi, he's one of us-"

"Yes. However, he isn't like us. His circumstances are different."

"Maybe," Shinji replied with a shrug.

"Not maybe Shinji, he is. Why wasn't I informed you were planning on recruiting him, since when did you do things without talking to me first?"

"Will you recruit him?"

Sayomi glared at him but didn't answer.

"I didn't think so. He's one of us, he will join us," Shinji said as he looked Sayomi in the eye.

"If you force him into making this decision," Sayomi said before she turned around and began to walk away. "I'll kill you."

Shinji scowled at her back as she walked away from him before sighing and scratching at his head and looking up into the sky.

* * *

"And where do you think you're going," Sayomi asked as Shinji stood up from the couch and meandered his way towards the door.

"To visit the neighbors," he replied with a crooked grin.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed at him and she made to stand, but Kensei forced her to sit back down by grabbing her wrist and pulling her onto his lap. She hissed in anger and glared at him for a moment before turning away when he returned her glare, only with much more anger.

"Stupid ape," she grumbled as she folded her hands over her chest and leaned against him since it was fairly obvious he wasn't letting her go anytime soon.

"Leave it alone, Sayomi," Kensei said.

"I'll do as I please, Kensei," she answered stubbornly.

"Shut up."

"You shut up," she shot back.

"If you two are gonna fight, do it somewhere else, I have a headache," Lisa snapped at them from the floor above.

"I'm going to my room," Sayomi said as she tried to break free from Kensei's grasp, when she couldn't she glared at him coldly, he just stared back at her in disinterest before sighing and releasing her.

She stood up quickly, but before she could make a dash for the door, she squealed as she was suddenly grabbed and tossed over Kensei's shoulder.

"Damn it you pervert, Kensei, I'm in a skirt," she yelled as she tried to reach over and hold her skirt down.

"Stop bitching," he snapped as he pulled her skirt down a little.

"Pervert," she shouted as she pounded at his back.

"Knock it off," Kensei barked at her.

She let out a small squeak but went quiet as Kensei carried her through the building and into her room before dropping her onto her butt on her bed.

"Ow," she groaned with a wince as she sat up and readjusted her skirt.

"Stay out of it, Sayomi, I know the kid's your friend and you want to protect him, but he's not like other Soul Reapers, he's like us. He'll need our help and you know it."

"Our _help_ is one thing, Kensei, wanting him to join us is another."

"Just leave it alone."

Sayomi sighed and nodded. "I know."

"Now shouldn't you be getting to bed, don't you have school tomorrow," Kensei asked with a smirk.

"Oh, shove it," Sayomi grumbled as she stood up from her bed to shove Kensei away from her dresser so she could change. She pulled open a drawer and pulled out a gray tank top and a pair of black shorts before turning to Kensei and looking at him expectantly.

"What?"

"Out."

"Why?"

"I want to change and I'd like to do it without being watched," Sayomi stated, putting her fists on her hips as she stared at him.

"Why," Kensei asked again.

"Pervert," Sayomi grumbled. "Wants to watch high school students-"

"Hey, I'm not a pervert and you're not an actual high school student," Kensei argued.

"Maybe, maybe not. Now get out," Sayomi ordered as she pointed to the door that was a few feet behind Kensei.

"What if I don't wanna," Kensei asked with a hint of a smirk pulling his lips up.

Sayomi raised a brow at him and cocked her head to grin at him lopsidedly. "I suppose I'll have to force you," she said, her eyes never leaving his.

Kensei chuckled at her threat, but disregarded it completely as he stepped towards her. She turned and took a step to her right, just out of reach. He took one more step and so did Sayomi, she frowned when she found her back up against the cold wall.

'Stupid, small room,' she thought bitterly.

Another step and Kensei was only centimeters from Sayomi, who stared up at him with an unreadable expression, although her breathing had quickened ever so slightly and her eyes flickered to his lips and back up into his eyes.

"Still want me to leave," he asked mockingly as he lowered his head towards her neck.

Sayomi breathed in as his breath caressed her skin and tilted her head slightly expecting him to lower his lips to her skin. He never did though, instead he hovered a few millimeters away from her, breathing her in and teasing her as he exhaled small breaths on her neck and collarbone.

He was playing with her, not touching her, just making her desire him as much as possible, to see how long it would take before she lost control. Not wanting to lose this little game, Sayomi did her best to keep her breathing steady at the nearness of Kensei's body, it had been a very long time since they had been together physically and she was quickly losing the battle of keeping her wits in check.

The clothes she had grabbed from the dresser were still clutched in her hands, but she dropped them as Kensei's face slowly moved across hers so that he could tease the other side of her neck. Reaching up quickly, she grabbed his face in her hands and firmly planted her lips on his, her tongue teasing his bottom lip as his hands finally touched her and wandered down her shoulders to her hips. He squeezed her closer to him all while pushing her into the wall behind her. She moaned as his hands traced down the length of her short skirt before grasping her legs and lifting her up so that she could straddle his waist.

"I love you Kensei," she whispered breathlessly.

He paused for a moment and stared into her eyes before she smiled. "I love you too Sayomi.. for some reason," he mumbled before going back to kissing her and tugging the beige sweater she had on over a white shirt over her head. His hands worked on the buttons of that next, once those were undone he didn't bother removing the shirt, he just ran his hands along her body as she struggled a little to remove his clothing, tugging his jersey off and dropping it behind him.

She felt him kick off his shoes, but she remained in his strong grasp, her legs wrapped around him and her back pressed into the wall, one arm around her waist while the other hand trailed up and down her leg before snaking under her skirt and pushing it further up her thighs.

"I have a bed you know," she said.

"I know, but this is more interesting," he answered.

* * *

Kensei watched her sleep, like he used to years ago and gently pushed the same few strands of hair that always seemed to fall in her face behind her ear. She lay partially on her side, tilted slightly so she was almost on her stomach, half her face hidden from view and one of her hands curled under her chin, the other tucked under her head. The curve of one of her delicate shoulders was all that was visible since he had pulled the sheets over her naked form not too long ago. The red tint to her cheeks had abated, but they were still pink from their recent excursion.

She was huddled against him, one of her legs entwined with his, she looked so utterly vulnerable in these moments, with her usual guard down, as all her troubles were temporarily put in the back of her mind. He knew she was planning something, he could see it in the way she talked, the way her eyes seemed to be constantly lined in worry over the last few weeks. What she was planning was what worried him, if she hadn't told him of her plans that could only mean one thing.

That he wouldn't approve.

That he would try to stop her, and that she may not be able to do whatever she was trying to if he did. The thought worried him, he knew Sayomi would never hurt any of them, but something was telling him he needed to keep her safe, to keep her away from anyone and everyone who would try and harm her. To keep her in his arms and not let her out of his sight, no matter what. He also knew that was impossible, especially if she was dead set on doing something reckless. Plus, she was stubborn and when determined it was best to stay out of her way, or risk getting caught in her path.

* * *

Please review!


	12. Chapter 12 A Message

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**A Message**

Sayomi was in her seat staring blankly out the window, her mind was a little distracted at the moment with thoughts of the night before with Kensei.

She didn't even hear Shinji come in the room and harass Orihime or Ichigo drag him outside to hopefully beat the crap out of him. She sighed and tried to get last night out of her mind, school wasn't the place to be daydreaming about those types of things.

When Shinji came back into the room followed by Ichigo, Sayomi raised her head and watched as a disgruntled Ichigo walked to his seat beside Shinji while Shinji took his seat in front of her.

By the end of the day, Sayomi was livid. Shinji had decided to hang out with Ichigo and his friends, which included her, as much as possible, and his happy go lucky attitude was really beginning to grate on her nerves.

"Finally," she mumbled when the bell signaling class was out for the day rang. She snatched her bag and took off.

"Hey Sayomi!"

She turned around at the sound of her name, ready to swing her bag right into Shinji's face, but it wasn't Shinji who was running after her.

"Ichigo?"

"Uh, hey... Listen I was wondering...."

"About what?" she asked as he broke off to scratch at his head.

"Do you know Shinji," he asked quickly.

"The guy in front of me?"

"Yeah, the blond guy."

"Uh, why?"

"Well, he...You know what, never mind," Ichigo said as he turned abruptly and walk off.

* * *

"She what?!" Sayomi shouted, her hands were shaking and Kensei was holding her back with one hand securely grasping her right wrist, so not only could she not move, drawing her zanpakuto would be difficult too.

"You're overreacting, Sayomi, cool it," Kensei said.

"Overreacting, Kensei,?! She tried to attack Orihime and Chad. She would have killed them, you get that, right," Sayomi snapped.

"But she didn't," Kensei reminded her.

"I don't care, I'm gonna beat the crap out of the little brat," she yelled.

Kensei grabbed both of her wrists and tugged her so that her back collided with his chest. "Enough," he ordered.

Sayomi growled once, before letting herself relax in Kensei's grasp. "Fine," she seethed as Kensei led her away from Shinji and Hiyori.

"You're lucky Kensei can calm her down," Lisa said as she looked down on Hiyori from the second floor. "You'd be cat food otherwise."

Hiyori snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd make her dog food before she could touch me."

"Uh huh," Shinji and Lisa replied together.

* * *

"So the Arrancar last night, they were stronger than the ones that we've seen in the past, right?" Sayomi asked as the group lounged around the warehouse.

"Right, it's not a big difference, but seein' as how it's been centuries since they've shown any sign of gettin' stronger, we can assume someone's helpin'em," Shinji replied.

"Isn't this all going a little quicker than expected," Kensei asked.

"I don't-" Sayomi stopped abruptly and gasped, her eyes widening and her face going pale as she struggled to take a breath.

"Sayomi," Kensei asked worriedly as he grabbed her shoulder.

She snapped her head over to Kensei. "Impossible."

"What Sayomi, what is it?" Kensei snapped at her, shaking her shoulder.

"Wait," she whispered quietly.

The entire warehouse went silent, the only sound was a dripping noise from a leak in the roof. Pit... pat... pit... pat...

"This spirit pressure," Rose said seconds before there was a loud crash.

"No," Sayomi whispered as she stood from the place she had been sitting on the floor beside Kensei.

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted as she vanished from his side. He stood up and made to follow after her, but Shinji was already in front of him, blocking his path. "Move Shinji."

"Let her go, Kensei," Shinji said.

"That spirit pressure is stronger than the Arrancar last night, a lot stronger Shinji, she could be killed."

"She won't be. Sayomi's not stupid, and besides she wouldn't risk getting herself killed before killin' _him_," Shinji replied with a grin.

* * *

Sayomi used shunpo to soar over the roof tops and through the trees as she flew towards where she could see small wisps of smoke rising into the air.

'This spirit pressure,' she thought, the closer she got the more she could feel the weight of the pressures.

'_There are two of them, Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze told her urgently.

'I know, but what are they? They feel like Arrancar, but they're much too strong,' she replied.

'_We shall see in a moment_,' Fuyukaze answered.

Sayomi came to an abrupt stop, balancing herself on a branch near the top of a tall tree.

'I can't get much closer in this form, without drawing more attention than necessary.'

'_But if they attack_,' Fuyukaze said.

'If they attack, I'll change back,' Sayomi replied as she leapt into the bushes below the tree. A few short seconds later a blur of white shot out of the bushes and in the direction of the blast. 'I don't want to fight them though, not unless it's necessary. I just want to get their attention. Let them know I'm here.'

Sayomi sprinted to the clearing in time to see Chad fall to the ground, his arm was mangled beyond repair and blood was everywhere. She saw Orihime, who had been carrying a limp Tatsuki away from the area that was littered in lifeless bodies, set her friend down and run back to Chad. She shouted something Sayomi didn't catch and strange fairy like creatures shot forward and surrounded Chad's arm. She watched in mild shock as the damaged tissue began to slowly repair itself.

"What about this one Ulquiorra, is she trash too," the large Arrancar that was towering above Orihime and Chad called to another, smaller Arrancar that was standing on the edge of a crater that she assumed was a result from there impact with the earth when they had come into the living realm from Hueco Muendo.

"Yes, Yammy, garbage," he answered. He had black hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes that were a few shades lighter than the cyan lines that ran down his face from his eyes to his chin. The remaining portion of his mask covered the left part of his head, it resembled a warriors helmet with a single horn extending out behind him.

Both were dressed in clothing that reminded her of Shinigami robes, only the colors had been inverted. Instead of black, they wore mostly white. The larger one laughed a harsh, grating laugh and shoved a finger towards Orihime who whispered something quietly, that to Sayomi sounded like 'Santen Kesshun'. A triangular golden shield appeared before her and Yammy's finger collided with the defense in a loud bang, the shield shattered when he withdrew his hand and Orihime shakily got to her feet.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Sayomi asked as she sauntered her way over to sit beside the smaller Arrancar, who had been called Ulquiorra.

She saw his green eyes glance down at her with disinterest, apparently talking cats were no big deal to him. "Aizen-sama has no use for pets, whatever you are, if you wish to live, leave," he said emotionlessly.

"Sorry, not going anywhere. I want to see how this ends," Sayomi replied with a light tone. "Besides, I have a message for Aizen."

"I doubt Aizen-sama would be interested in a message from garbage like you."

Sayomi laughed dryly. "We'll see won't we. Tell him Sayomi says hello, I'm sure he'll be glad to hear it."

When she received no response, Sayomi stood back up, her tail raised proudly. "By the way, Aizen-_sama_, would want the girl alive. As you can see, her powers are more than just spells and kido."

"Hn," Ulquiorra huffed in response.

"Fine, do what you want with her, it's not my head after all," Sayomi replied as she turned away and began walking again. 'Hurry up Ichigo, I can't help her.'

Sayomi walked back through the bushes to where she had left her clothes and laid down. She didn't like leaving Orihime in the hands of the enemy, but she could tell that Ichigo and even Urahara and Yoruichi were on their way to the clearing. She just hoped they got there before Orihime was hurt. She knew that the large Yammy had been waiting for confirmation to kill Orihime while she was talking to Ulquiorra and since she had dominated his attention for several moments he hadn't gotten that order.

'I can't believe I'm doing this,' Sayomi thought to herself.

'_Then don't_,' Fuyukaze replied, his voice calm and stern, but she could sense the storm brewing behind him.

'I think it's a little for that.'

* * *

"What happened?!" Kensei demanded as Sayomi walked back in to the warehouse, she had reverted back to human form and her head was lowered as she walked.

"They're fully developed," she answered.

There were several surprised gasps and a few curses in response, but no one seemed to have anything to say.

"I didn't watch the whole fight, but I know that Ichigo lost control after calling out his bankai. His time is approaching quickly. Shinji," she said as her eyes corned over to the blond, they were cold, and distant as she spoke. "Stay away from the school. He knows what you are and what you can do for him, but he's stubborn. He'll try to handle this on his own. I'll keep an eye on him, but you need to stay away from him, let him think you've backed off."

Shinji nodded in reply, his face blank as he watched Sayomi.

"Another thing," she said as she began to walk away. "They're after Ichigo. Are you sure you still want to recruit him?"

"Yes," Shinji answered.

Sayomi stayed motionless for a moment before nodding stiffly and walking passed everyone and through the hall that led to her room.

"Somethin's up, she hasn't acted like that in a long time," Shinji said after several minutes of silence.

"She's planning something," Kensei replied.

"What," Shinji asked.

"I don't know," Kensei answered as he folded his arms over his chest and frowned in the direction Sayomi had gone.

* * *

"What do you have to show your brothers, Ulquiorra," a brown haired man asked as he sat in a white stone throne. There were two other men, one on either side of him as he gazed down at two his subordinates. Ulquiorra the dark haired man and Yammy, who was now missing an arm, stood below the raised throne.

Ulquiorra reached up with one of his pale hands and proceeded to remove his left eye from its socket before holding it out before him and crushing it in his fist. A strange mist seemed to creep from his hand and flow around the room to the other occupants who were watching with interest.

"It is ready, please watch," Ulquiorra said politely.

There were several minutes of silence as the events that passed in the day were replayed for everyone in the chamber.

"I see," the brown haired man said with a chuckle as he glanced to the man to his right. "So she did survive all these years."

"The woman asked me to relay a message, she said to tell Aizen-sama that she said hello," Ulquiorra stated.

"Did she now," Aizen mused with a smile as he glance to the grinning man to his right.

* * *

Sayomi attended school each day that followed and sat quietly in her seat, she spoke to hardly anyone and she spent most of her time watching as the days wore on Ichigo. He was tired, his eyes were worried, and he was less put together than usual. He wasn't even bothering to put on a facade that everything was fine, he withdrew from everyone and became just another face in the crowd.

"Ichigo," she said as she approached him after four days after classes.

He turned to her without seeming to really see her, but he didn't say anything.

"It's not your fault, you know that right?" she asked.

His brow furrowed and a frown pulled down his lips. "They got hurt because I couldn't get there fast enough. I let them down."

"Then is it my fault too?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, surprised.

"I couldn't get there at all," she replied sadly.

"That's different. I know you have to be careful to avoid being detected."

"I do."

"I gotta get going, I'll see you later Sayomi," Ichigo said as prepared to walk off.

Sayomi nodded and smiled softly as she waved at him.

* * *

"I don't think you should you go."

"I'll be fine Kensei. Now please put me down," Sayomi sighed monotonously.

Kensei had tossed Sayomi over his shoulder as she had prepared to leave for school, she looked rather bored with the situation as she hung limply in his grasp.

"No, you shouldn't go out. Not with so many Soul Reapers so close," he said.

"Kensei, I'm not in the mood for this nonsense, now put me down," Sayomi replied blandly.

"I don't like this Sayomi. There's too many."

"They're here because of the Arrancar invasion, not to get me, or us. Now let me go, I'm going to be late," she said evenly.

Kensei set her down roughly with a huff. "Don't do anything stupid."

She scoffed at his response before grabbing her bag and leaving.

* * *

"Hey, Orihime. You look...."

"Oh, I'm fine," Orihime said quickly smiling widely. "I just fell down some stairs."

Sayomi walked into the classroom to see Chizuru staring at Orihime, who was giggling and scratching at the back of her head with her arm that wasn't in a cast.

"Hey, Orihime," Sayomi greeted with a smile.

"Oh, hey Sayomi. So did hear about the...the strange people who fell from the sky?"

Sayomi blinked at Orihime in disbelief and opened her mouth to respond, only she didn't know what to say.

"More of your stories Orihime. Doesn't your imagination ever stop," Tatsuki teased as she walked up to the two girls and patted Orihime on the head.

Orihime started laughing nervously again and Sayomi could only sigh, at least no one believed the things Orihime said, or there would be a lot of explaining to do.

"Morning Ichigo," Sayomi sang happily as Ichigo walked into the classroom.

"Hey," was her only response as he looked up at Orihime apologetically. "Hey Orihime."

"Oh, hey Ichigo," Orihime replied quickly as she started blushing.

"Look, I-I-"

Sayomi's head snapped towards the doorway and a small growl rumbled out of her throat. "Dammit," she cursed quietly.

"What's wrong," Orihime asked as Sayomi stood quickly and grabbed her bag which she slung carelessly over her shoulder.

"Nothing, I just remembered something. I need to go," she answered as she made her way to the door and quickly left the room.

She could hear the approach of several people, their footsteps echoing in the mostly deserted halls.

"You know captain, you look cute in those clothes," she heard a distinctly feminine voice say.

"Shut up Matsumoto," a gruff, childlike male voice answered in annoyance.

"What classroom was it again," another male voice asked.

"I don't know," the female replied.

"But I thought you had the paper?!"

"I lost it," the female chirped.

"Hey, what's with that look Matsumoto, you're not trying to think are you," a harsh male voice asked.

Sayomi turned the corner at the end of the hall just as she heard the door to the classroom she had been in slide open, she cast a single quick glance over her shoulder and caught the eyes of a busty woman with reddish blond hair. The woman looked surprised and blinked at Sayomi like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was a white haired boy beside her who looked in her direction as if he sensed her, but she was gone before his eyes could find her.

"Snap out of it, Matsumoto," a rather cheery male voice snapped.

"Huh, buzz off feathers," she replied as she followed the four men she was with into the classroom. They looked surprised by her outburst and a little worried over the thoughtful expression on her face, but that disappeared as soon as she saw Ichigo. "Hey Ichigo!"

* * *

"Back so soon," Kensei grunted as Sayomi walked into the warehouse.

Sayomi glanced at Kensei disinterestedly before huffing and walking passed the group that was huddled over the table eating lunch.

"Has she said anything to you, Kensei," Shinji asked.

Kensei shook his head and scowled. "No. I don't know what she's doing, aside from distancing herself from all of us."

"Keep an eye on her," Shinji replied.

Kensei nodded again and went back to his lunch.

After tossing her bag on the floor near her door, Sayomi sat down on her bed. She crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap as she shut her eyes and exhaled slowly.

Fuyukaze appeared before her, his white hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck as he stood towards the mouth of the cave they were in. It was cool in the cave despite the fire that was crackling in the center of the earthen floor. Even as she leaned against the rock wall at the very back of the cave Sayomi could feel the wind that blew in icy gusts behind Fuyukaze. She could see the white of the snow and frost that was being pushed violently through the turbulent winds outside.

Pulling her hair back from her face in an attempt to keep it from blowing into her eyes, Sayomi scowled at Fuyukaze as he stared emotionlessly down at her, wisps of his hair dancing behind him in the breeze that whispered through the cave.

"_Don't look at me like the wind is my fault, Sayomi-hime, you're the one struggling. I'm just the one stuck here while the wind rips apart the mountains_," Fuyukaze said upon noticing her frown.

"I'm aware of that Fuyukaze," Sayomi replied. "But you haven't been talking to me."

"_Could you hear me through the howling of the gusts_," Fuyukaze retorted as he cast a glance behind him and out of the cave.

"You know full well that I could. You aren't happy with what I'm planning," it wasn't a question it was a statement, she and Fuyukaze had been together a long time, they knew each other well.

"_I can't say I'm particularly fond of it_," he replied dryly.

"Deal with it," Sayomi snapped before sighing and hanging her head. "I'm sorry Fuyu, but I have made my decision. I would like you by my side through this, I don't think I can do it without you."

"_Of course you wouldn't_," Fuyukaze snorted.

Sayomi smirked and raised her head to look him in the eyes. "You really are beautiful, you know that," she said wistfully.

Fuyukaze raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. "_I'm aware, but where did that come from_?"

"What, I can't admire your beauty, sheesh," she replied as she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"_I don't mind that at all, it's just not like you to be so forward_."

Sayomi snorted. "You're full of yourself."

"_So are you_."

"Eh," she answered as she shrugged a shoulder.

"_The wind has let up a little_," Fuyukaze said as he turned his head to look out the mouth of the cave.

"Has it," Sayomi asked quietly, her head was tilted back against the rock wall behind her and her eyes were closed.

"_Yes_," he answered as he walked forward and sat beside Sayomi.

Sayomi opened her eyes and tilted her head to smile at him. "Sorry I haven't visited much, I don't really know why that is."

"_You've been distracted. I understand, I know what's going on in that thick skull of yours, and I may not like it, but I'm only worried about you_," Fuyukaze said with a sigh.

"I know. You're always trying to protect me Fuyu, thank you," she replied as she leaned against his shoulder.

"_You're cold_," he said as he noticed the goosebumps on her arms.

"I'm sorry I've made it so unbearable here, I didn't realize how much I was worrying."

"_Shh_..."

Fuyukaze wrapped his arm around Sayomi and pulled her closer to him, she was small enough that she fit in the crook of his arm and she curled herself into him and let herself drift off to sleep.

Fuyukaze watched as the wind outside began to blow less harshly and the flurries of snow and ice all but disappeared. The world lightened just a little bit as the dark clouds retreated and the sky returned to a pale blue.

"_Sayomi-sama...It's time for you to wake little one_."

"What's wrong, Fuyukaze," she asked sleepily as she blinked her tired eyes open.

"_You've been sleeping here for quite awhile, someone is waiting for you, and they're getting impatient_."

"Kensei?"

Fuyukaze nodded and Sayomi sighed. "_He knows little hime, that you're up to something. They all do_."

"I figured as much, I guess I should go then."

* * *

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13 Force it Out

Disclaimer- I still don't own Bleach, and I'm almost out of bleach. I need to get some more, you know to keep my whites white.

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**Chapter 13**

**Force it Out **

Sayomi opened her eyes and gave herself a moment to let them adjust to the darkness that had crept over her room. She could already see Kensei's muscled form outlined in the dark, leaning against the wall by her door. By his posture, Sayomi could tell she was in for a good fight tonight and it wouldn't end the way their last one had, not even close. She waited to address him, letting her eyes fully adjust to the darkness and taking a few breaths to ready herself for the coming storm.

"Hello Kensei, what can I do for you," Sayomi asked, her voice was quiet, bored.

"What are you planning, Sayomi? And don't say nothing. We all know you better than that, especially me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered monotonously.

"Bullshit! You're distancing yourself from everyone, you're acting the way used to act as a Soul Reaper, and not just a Soul Reaper. As a captain and as the Kuchiki's fiance. The only reason you would do that is to push everyone away. Not something we would usually question, but it was too sudden this time. There's no reason for it, so what are you planning," Kensei asked harshly.

"I already told you," she replied, her tone was still blank and devoid of emotion as she spoke, "Nothing."

"Dammit, stop acting like such a pompous bitch, Sayomi! You're lying and I know it. Now tell me what the hell is going on before I beat it out of you," Kensei snapped.

Sayomi chuckled coldly as she stood from her bed and faced him, her eyes meeting his, "What I'm planning is none of your concern, Kensei."

Her eyes followed Kensei's every move as he darted from his spot against the wall to appear directly in front of her. She didn't make a sound or attempt to move as his strong hand wrapped around her neck and her body was forced against the wall behind her. She was now pinned in the small space between her bed and the small dresser of her room, but she paid that no mind. Her light blue eyes seemed like ice as she stared into Kensei's blazing golden eyes.

"It is my concern Sayomi," he hissed quietly. "_You_ are my concern."

"I am not your subordinate any longer, you have no reason-"

"Shut the hell up!" he snapped angrily, his tone would normally have made Sayomi flinch, but she showed no sign of having even heard him. "You know what I meant."

"Did I?"

A growl rumbled from his chest and the hand not holding her flexed in an attempt to control the anger that was coursing through his body.

"Yes. I may not say it often, but I love you, Sayomi." Though he was still angry there was a softness to his tone and in his eyes as he said the words.

This time Sayomi did flinch as if the words had burned her instead of making her feel warm and fuzzy. Her eyes finally left Kensei's and she stared at the wall above her bed.

"Please let me go," she asked quietly.

"No."

Sayomi sighed and lowered her head. "I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I've had a lot on my mind, but please don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Don't make what harder, Sayomi?" He asked, the anger seeping back into his tone at her now withdrawn attitude.

"My intentions have been fairly clear from the beginning, have they not?"

Kensei started slightly and his hand loosened around her throat, he blinked in confusion before seeming to understand her words. His fingers released her throat and he slammed his hand into the wall behind her head, leaving a dent in the concrete wall. He left his hand in the wall as he leaned forward, his face inches from Sayomi's as she raised her eyes to meet his defiantly.

"Him," he snarled. "You plan on trying to get to _him_ on your own."

She said nothing as she continued to stare into his eyes.

"Answer me!"

"Yes."

Kensei removed his fist from the wall, pieces of concrete falling to the floor. Both hands fisted at his sides and his body shook as he stared at Sayomi's impassive face. He could tell she was preparing herself for his reaction, she knew his temper and she expected him to react predictably. Something told him she wanted him to react violently, that somehow that would help her in whatever she was planning.

"How do you plan on doing it? You know full well you can't get near him now."

Sayomi said nothing as she kept their eyes locked.

"It's not that you want to get to him alone, it's how isn't it?" Kensei asked.

Still she said nothing, only stood before him emotionlessly.

"What are you planning to do?"

After several seconds of prolonged silence Kensei had enough, he pushed himself away from Sayomi with a growl. "Whatever you're planning, Sayomi, is it so bad that you would purposely push away the people who call themselves your friends."

His question was met with silence and when he knew he wouldn't be getting an answer he turned away from her and headed for the door.

"Yes," she whispered after her door slammed shut and she could hear the angry thud of Kensei's footsteps retreating from the hallway.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back until it touched the cool concrete wall behind her. As she took in a deep breath she let her knees buckle under her and she slid slowly down to the floor.

'_You're really going to go through with it_,' Fuyukaze asked.

Sayomi took a deep breath and swallowed. "I am."

'_I thought so. Are you sure this is the best approach? You know the likely outcome of what you are doing, do you really want to go into this friendless and alone_?'

"I'll be friendless and alone whether I push them away now or not and you know that," she answered.

'_You have chosen your own path little hime, you can change it. Take comfort in your friends while you can_.'

"Wouldn't that be a bit selfish though? Using them for my own well being?"

'_You're a fairly selfish person hime_.'

"Shut up Fuyu, I'm not in the mood for your teasing."

'_Forgive me. However, selfish or not, you will need them. Or have you forgotten_?'

"Ichigo," she said. "They'll still help him."

'_True, but they won't allow you to help, their trust in you is ebbing_.'

"You want them to trust me Fuyukaze?" Sayomi said with a small, bitter laugh. "You know that after what I plan on doing, no one will trust me. No one."

'_I will always trust you. Don't do them the dishonor of thinking that they wouldn't understand. I'm sure if_-'

"I'm not telling them what I'm doing."

'_You don't have to. They know you well enough, and the way you are acting now would tell them what they need to know_.'

Sayomi sighed. "You win Fuyu, I'll patch things up, somewhat. For now. I know you're just being manipulative, you want me to change my mind."

'_No. I don't want you to die with regrets_.'

Her eyes closed at his words and she could feel the sting of tears in her eyes. She swallowed and stood slowly from the floor. Her hands flexed by her sides and she took a breath before walking out of her room and following the dark hallway to the door that led to the main room of the warehouse.

Rose, Love and Kensei sat at the table to the right. Shinji was sprawled out on the sofa in the center of the room as usual, Hiyori sat in a chair beside the couch watching television. Hachi was against a wall to her left, he looked to be either asleep or meditating. Lisa was perched on the second floor, one leg dangling over the edge as she leaned against a pillar and read one of her many perverted magazines. Mashiro was on her stomach on the floor directly in front of the old television, her eyes wide as saucers as she watched a cat bounce around the screen in a commercial for cat food.

As she stepped from the darkness of the hall all eyes focused on her. She wasn't surprised by the suspicion and uncertainty in them, the anger was obvious in Kensei's eyes as he watched her move from the doorway towards him. He tensed as she neared him, his eyes narrowing at her. Before she could take a seat next to him she sucked in a deep breath as the air was knocked from her lungs, her head swung towards the door and her eyes widened.

"Sayomi," Kensei asked, his narrowed eyes growing concerned by her sudden reaction. She was the most sensitive of the group, she always had been. She was always able to sense things before the rest of them usually did.

There was a flash of light and Sayomi's small form seemed to fold in on itself as she ran towards the door. Her clothes piled on the floor and she slipped her head into her bracelet so quickly the movement was nothing more than a blur as she transformed into a cat and bolted from the warehouse before anyone was even able to move to stop her.

It wasn't until several minutes later that they finally felt what had caused Sayomi to run so swiftly. There were several powerful Arrancar in the city and they were spreading out.

* * *

'_What are you going to do_?' Fuyukaze asked as Sayomi ran.

'There are several of them and the Soul Reapers stationed here are already on the move to fight them. I'm not interested in those. The strongest in the group is headed towards Ichigo. In his current state he may not be able to defend himself well. The reiatsu are all different from the ones a few days before, I wonder what they want, they aren't here just for Ichigo. They wouldn't have split up if they were.'

'_There's a Soul Reaper near him, she's fighting_.'

'I know. It's the girl, Byakuya's...sister. Her opponent isn't very skilled. She'll be through soon.'

'_She's finished_,' Fuyukaze said a few seconds later.

'Told you,' Sayomi replied before growling angrily. 'Dammit. The strongest has just reached Ichigo and the girl's spirit energy suddenly dropped dramatically.'

She growled again before speeding up and racing through the empty streets of Karakura Town towards the flaring reiatsu of Ichigo and his opponent.

"Don't do anything stupid, Ichigo," Sayomi said aloud as she ran.

She arrived to a scene covered in dust and smoke. As the smoke cleared she saw that Ichigo was standing in the middle of the street, standing suspended in the air a few yards from him was an Arrancar with light blue hair and eyes a few shades darker than her own. There were teal markings under his eyes that made him look feline and the remaining part of his hollow mask was a partial jaw with sharp razor like teeth that sat on the right side of his face.

Ichigo raised his zanpakuto before him and placed his left hand over his right arm as if to brace it.

"Ban-kai," he said.

Sayomi sighed. "Well, this might just get interesting. I might be able to use this to my advantage."

She watched, hidden in the shadows, occasionally moving her position in order to see the destructive fight that was taking place between Ichigo and the Arrancar now known as Espada number six, Grimmjow.

The Arrancar was strong, and in Ichigo's current condition he was much stronger than the orange haired substitute Shinigami. Ichigo was trying to be careful. Trying not to use too much strength and energy. He was scared.

Sayomi shook her head as she watched the Arrancar land a heavy blow to Ichigo's chest, sending him flying through the air. He landed with a loud crash in a nearby intersection, there was a depression around him from the force with which he had collided with the ground.

"Getsuga Tenshou," she heard Ichigo shout. Black energy flew through the dust that had been stirred up and headed straight for the blue haired man standing in the sky.

There was a booming noise as the attack connected with it's target and a flash of light that made it hard to see what had happened.

She knew the Arrancar had survived, but her eyes were focused on Ichigo as he held a hand over his left eye and bent forward slightly.

'_He's losing control_,' Fuyukaze observed.

'Yes, he is.'

She saw Ichigo raise his sword to strike again and saw the Arrancar prepare to finally draw his.

She darted off the rooftop she had been on and ran on the air to a spot between the two. "Enough," she ordered.

"S-Sayomi," Ichigo stuttered out.

"You're the one from Ulquiorra's vision. What the hell do you want?" The Espada growled.

"What I want is none of your concern, but you should know that right now Tousen is on his way here. I'm guessing you came without orders, and Aizen-sama isn't pleased. Especially since all of your friends are dead," Sayomi replied.

Grimmjow's blue eyes widened as he took full notice of the fact that what she said was true, the five others he had brought with him to the living world, were dead. He didn't sense Tousen though and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Sayomi who was watching him coolly, her tail flitting lazily behind her.

"Tousen ain't here, now get the hell out of the way and let me finish off the brat."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm only trying to help you I assure you. If Aizen-sama wanted him dead, he would be," Sayomi said.

"Bitch, get out-"

"Grimmjow, put your blade back in its rightful place."

As he had been speaking and drawing his sword a man had appeared silently behind him. He was slim with long dark hair and tanned skin. He wore a pair of oddly shaped sunglasses over his eyes that Sayomi knew were blind. One of his hands was grasping the hilt of the sword that the blue haired man had attempted to draw moments before.

"Tousen," Grimmjow growled. "Why are you here?"

"Why? You don't get it? You came to the living world without permission and brought five others with you. They are all dead. You should understand that Aizen-sama is livid that you disobeyed orders," Tousen said calmly.

"I tried to warn you," Sayomi remarked. "You wouldn't listen."

"Shut the he-"

"Quiet Grimmjow, your punishment will be decided in Hueco Muendo," Tousen cut in.

"It's been a long time, Tousen," Sayomi said.

"It has, a very long time. Much has changed and Aizen-sama wishes to see you again," Tousen replied.

"Tell him I look forward to seeing him again as well," Sayomi answered.

Tousen nodded. "Come Grimmjow, Aizen-sama is waiting for you."

"Hey, where the hell are you going?! You come down here, start a fight and then just decide to leave," Ichigo yelled after Grimmjow who was following Tousen into a rip in the sky. "The winner hasn't been decided yet, get back here!"

"The winner hasn't been decided yet, you say," Grimmjow said as he turned to face Ichigo. "That move you just used hurts you, even I can see that. You could use it maybe two or three more times, but then you'd be done. Those things wouldn't even scratch me in my released state. So don't go tellin' me the winner ain't decided yet because the one who is escaping with barely his life... Is you, Shinigami."

"Bastard," Ichigo snapped.

"Remember my name, the next time you hear it... will be the last," Grimmjow taunted as he and Tousen disappeared.

Sayomi glanced over her shoulder at Ichigo who was looking at her oddly. He had heard the majority of the conversation between her and Tousen and he was curious as to the meaning of it.

"I'd love to stick around and yell at you for being reckless, but if I do I'll be the reckless one. We'll discuss this some other time. You know what you need to do Ichigo," she said before disappearing.

"Hey wait!" he yelled.

"What the hell are you yelling about, Kurosaki," a tall man with bright red hair that was tied into a ponytail asked as he approached the orange haired Ichigo.

"None of your damn business, Renji," he snapped back.

"Did you win?"

Ichigo frowned and looked away. "I lost."

He bowed his head and though over what Sayomi had said. She was right, he knew what he needed to do, but how did she know that? Did she know about the hollow in his soul, was she trying to protect him when she stepped in? Did she know he was losing control of his sanity?

* * *

"She says she looks forward to your meeting," Tousen said to Aizen who was lounging in his large throne.

"Is that so," he mused, "In that case maybe we should invite her over for a visit. What do you think Gin?"

"I think that would be fun," the grinning man replied.

"Then I think we should make some preparations for her arrival," Aizen said with a smile.

* * *

Sayomi took her time in walking back to the hideout. She wasn't in the mood to face everyone now. Ichigo was losing control very quickly and if he didn't come to them soon he would face insanity, and worse. On top of that, she hadn't expected Tousen to show up to stop the fight, however his presence was certainly not unwelcome. Her plan had just moved forward several steps. Now all she had to do was wait. Wait and try to keep Ichigo whole.

She walked back into the warehouse to find the main area empty at first glance, but upon closer inspection she saw Kensei asleep on the sofa. Sighing, she walked over to him and nudged the hand that was dangling off the edge.

A surprised meow erupted from her when she was suddenly hefted by the scruff of her neck off the ground and found herself face to face with a very angry Kensei.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you nearly gave me a heart attack," Sayomi complained.

"Oh it's just you," he replied as he dropped her back on to the floor.

"Thanks, that makes me feel special," she grumbled in response.

"Like I give a shit," was Kensei's pointed response as he laid back down on the couch.

Sayomi sighed and leapt on to the silvery haired man's stomach. "You're angry with me."

"No shit," he grumbled.

"I won't ask you to forgive me. It would be easier for me if you didn't anyways. You knew from the beginning that my goal, my only goal, was to kill him. You knew that Kensei and it hasn't changed. Many other things have changed, including me, but that decision hasn't. I do love you, with all my heart Kensei I do..."

"But," he prompted.

"But I can't give you what you want."

"You don't know what I want to begin with Sayomi."

"Then what do you want, Kensei," she asked tiredly.

"I want you to kill your bastard brother if it's what you want. I want you to get the revenge you want so badly."

Sayomi was a little surprised by the blunt response, she had expected something completely different. Then again this was Kensei she was dealing with, she should have known better than to expect some heart felt response.

"Maybe then you'll remember your priorities," he finished.

Sayomi actually winced at the harshness of the statement. He was right though. She had never paid as much attention to Kensei as she should have. She took him for granted, thinking he'd always be there. It hurt to think of the pain her actions must have caused him. She had disappeared for years after defending not only his name but the name of her former love. She spent a lot of her time thinking of the day she could have revenge, it had clouded her vision, and lately it had only gotten worse.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she turned and leapt off his chest.

"Sayomi."

She stopped at the sound of her name but didn't turn to face him. Her head lowered slightly as she waited for him to say whatever he was going to say.

"I'm hungry."

She stood completely still for about five seconds before raising her and turning to look back at him. "And?"

"Make me something to eat woman."

"Talk about mood swings," she grumbled. "Make your own damn food Kensei. I'm going to bed."

"Alone?"

"No Kensei, with Shinji. Yes alone," she replied.

"We're not very good at this being upset with each other thing are we?"

"Nope. We are absolutely horrible at it."

* * *

Sayomi was the one to watch Kensei sleep this time. She lay on her side facing him as he slept peacefully for what she guessed was the first time in days. She ran a hand over his face and smiled sadly. This couldn't last. It wouldn't last, but she wanted it to last as long as possible. She wanted to savor the time they had together while she could.

"Morning," she said quietly as his eyes opened groggily.

He grunted at her and rolled over, taking the bed sheets with him and pulling them over his head.

"Hey, it's cold," Sayomi complained as she tried to tug the sheets out of his grasp. She was in a white tank top and thin blue pajama bottoms with her hair in a french braid.

"Shut up," Kensei grumbled in response.

"Need I remind you that you are in my bed," she replied haughtily.

"And?"

"And I'm cold, jerk!"

"And?"

"Kensei," she said sweetly.

He was silent for a moment before relinquishing his hold on the blankets, somehow Sayomi was rather frightening when she was being sweet. It was strange, but it freaked him out.

"Thank you," she said curtly as she huddled under her sheets.

Kensei rolled over to face her and after a quick glance at the clock on her dresser said, "You're going to be late."

"I'm not going to class today."

"Why not?"

"Because Ichigo will be here in a few hours," she replied.

"How do you know that?"

"I just know. Can't you feel it? He's beginning to lose control, and he knows he needs our help."

"I thought he didn't know you were with us," Kensei said.

"He doesn't. When I saw him last night I told him that he knew what he needed to do and he does. He needs to find Shinji, to find us."

"And that's how you know," he asked incredulously.

"That and I can sense him searching for us."

* * *

Sayomi sat on the edge of the second story's broken floor, her legs dangling over the edge as she leaned against Kensei's knee. He was sitting behind her with one leg pulled up and the other stretched out on the ground. The rest of the Vizard were spread around the building, waiting.

"He's here," Sayomi said boredly as she picked a piece of lint off of her light colored jeans.

No one seemed to hear her or if they did, they didn't care. Seconds later a shadow appeared in the large doorway and Ichigo walked in to the warehouse. He was dressed casually in jeans and a light t-shirt with a light weight black jacket over it. All eyes were now on him as his amber eyes flicked from person to person before landing on Sayomi and staring at her in surprise.

"Finally found us, huh," Shinji said as he stared down at the orange haired teen. He was on the floor below Sayomi who was tempted to kick off her silver shoe and let it hit the blonde in the head.

"Hey Ichigo," Sayomi greeted happily as she leaned forward and smiled down at him.

"Sayomi? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Well you see when I said I wasn't a Soul Reaper, I meant it. I'm not. Anymore."

"Anymore?" he inquired.

"He doesn't need to know," Kensei said bluntly.

"Right," Sayomi continued, ignoring Kensei's grunt of disapproval and a glare from Hiyori. "You see it wasn't our choice to become Vizards. It was forced upon us. I'll give you a single guess as to the traitor who did it."

"Aizen," Ichigo said in surprise.

Sayomi nodded. "Yes, Aizen. He wasn't the only one. There were two others as well, the same who left Soul Society with him and the Hogyoku."

"You know about-"

"Of course we do," Sayomi cut in. "We were all high ranking officials in the Gotei thirteen Ichigo, we have our ways."

"Enough of your blabberin'," Shinji drawled. "You came here to join us right?"

Ichigo smirked as he looked at Shinji. "Hell no!"

"Ehhh," Shinji screeched as he lifted the golf cap on his head slightly.

Sayomi smirked at Ichigo who grinned back before continuing.

"I'm not going to be one of your flunkies. Please. The only reason I'm here... is to use you, not join you."

"What waz'at," Shinji asked as he narrowed his eyes at Ichigo.

"I won't join up with you, but I'm sure you can teach me how to quiet the hollow inside me down," Ichigo explained.

"And just who do you think's gonna teach ya? Sayomi? I'll tell ya now, she can't do it on her own and she knows it," Shinji said.

"Then I'll just have to force it out of you then," Ichigo said as he stared calmly up at Shinji.

"And how do ya plan on doin' that?"

Ichigo smirked defiantly.

Kensei stood up and took a step towards the edge of the broken concrete. Sayomi held out a hand and Kensei stopped his advance and turned his now angrily narrowed eyes to the top of Sayomi's head.

"Enough," she said authoritatively. "Ichigo?"

Ichigo's eyes flickered up to hers.

"I think they'd like a little demonstration," she said as she gracefully slid from her spot on the floor above him, she landed beside him with a smile. "Don't hold back," she ordered seriously as she snatched Ichigo's substitute badge with her left hand and held her right hand out to her side. "Breathe, Fuyukaze."

Ichigo took a step back in his surprise as the bracelet on her wrist shattered into millions of silver and blue snowflakes. They swirled around her wrist and gathered in her outstretched palm. It had only been a few seconds as Ichigo watched in awe as Sayomi's sheathed zanpakuto formed in her hand, what happened after that surprised him even more. She slammed the badge into his chest and dropped it to the ground, before it could land, her zanpakuto was unsheathed and arcing towards his throat.

He grunted, but pulled his own much larger weapon from his back, blocking Sayomi's swing with the flat of it.

"What are you doing," Ichigo asked as he shoved Sayomi away.

Sayomi's face was blank as she looked back at him. "Trying to kill you," she answered seriously as she flashed from her spot a few feet in front of him to his right side.

"You're holding back," she stated as he barely managed to block her pure silver blade from connecting with is chest.

"I don't want to fight you."

"Then you will die."

Ichigo scowled at her but the angered look vanished the second Sayomi vanished from his side.

"Dammit," he cursed as he was forced to block another of her attacks. Gripping his zanpakuto with both hands, Ichigo charged towards Sayomi.

"You're holding back," she repeated as she sliced Ichigo's cheek open with the tip of her sword.

Ichigo was panting as he eyed Sayomi who was standing in front of him, her eyes showing no hint of emotion.

"I didn't come here to fight you," Ichigo replied as he wiped some of the blood from his face.

"No," she asked with a raised brow.

"I want to fight Shinji."

Sayomi turned towards Shinji who was standing with the eight others on the ground below them. She shrugged and sheathed her zanpakuto. "Have at it at then."

"What," Ichigo asked as he blinked in confusion at Sayomi's sudden change in attitude.

"Go, fight the dumb blond," she said as she waved her hand at him like she was shooing a dog.

"Uhhh..Ok," Ichigo replied before flying towards Shinji who only smirked as he kicked his zanpakuto up from the floor beneath him and leapt in the air to meet his attack.

'Maybe now he'll actually put up a fight,' Sayomi thought as she watched the swords of the two men connect.

The fight that followed made Sayomi roll her eyes and make her way towards the others. Ichigo and Shinji were merely taking turns attacking and defending.

"That Ichigo must think highly of himself if he would choose to fight Shinji," Rose said as she approached the group who was watching the fighting from the ground level of the warehouse.

"Fool. Shinji's not even taking this seriously," Lisa replied.

"If you look again even Ichigo isn't fighting to his full abilities either," Hachi said.

"He's scared. Whatever way you look at it," Love sighed.

"Of what," Mashiro asked.

"The hollow," Kensei answered as he watched the fight angrily, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "To think Shinji wanted to recruit him, at this level-"

"At this level what, Kensei," Sayomi asked as she turned her cold eyes to him. "He's holding back. Just like Shinji, he's not taking this fight seriously. I thought by letting him fight Shinji he would actually fight, not be a scared little boy like he is. He's stronger than you think, do not underestimate him."

"Where ya goin' Hiyorin?" Mashiro chirped as Hiyori turned away from the group and began to walk away.

"Hey Hachi, buff the shield up five levels," Hiyori said, ignoring Mashiro's questioning.

"Yes ma'am," Hachi replied.

"Hey Shinji," she then yelled. "Outta my way! It's my turn!"

With that she slapped Shinji with a sandal and sent him spinning through the air and out the warehouse window.

"I thought I said to up the shield," she said as she turned to Hachi.

"I didn't have the time," Hachi replied.

"Ah well. Anyways, where was I. Oh yeah...You're going about this all wrong Ichigo. We were considering letting you join our ranks, but that doesn't mean that it's ever been up to you. It's our decision. I don't give a shit if you want to join us or not. We saw you had power and wanted to see for ourselves if you were good enough. If you have the power to become one of us then we'll teach to you control the hollow. If not then take a hike and go die a dog's death as a hollow." After her speech Hiyori turned away from Ichigo who was staring after her in a mix of shock and confusion.

"If ya get it then turn into a hollow and lets see what ya got," Hiyori said.

"No," Ichigo answered.

"You still don't get it. The decision ain't yours," she replied as she turned towards him as her white rhino like hollow mask began to appear around her face.

Sayomi watched, her face blank and impassive as Hiyori continued to taunt Ichigo. She would have intervened but she knew that Ichigo needed to be pushed to the brink in order to finally see that this wasn't just some walk in the park. They needed to see just what they were up against, and Hiyori might actually get enough of a rise out of him for them to figure it out.

* * *

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14 Don't Lose

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**Don't Lose**

"Oi, Hiyori!"

"Hey hold on, Hiyori!"

"Hiyorin!"

Love, Rose and Mashiro all shouted over each other as Hiyori's mask fully formed, partially hiding her face. Only Hachi, Lisa, Kensei and herself seemed to be unaffected by Hiyori's display. They stared up at the two and watched in silence as the blond girl continued to taunt Ichigo.

"You don't get to be one of us just by having a mask. The least you can do is transform for us. Are ya still scared?" she asked.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as his grip tightened around his zanpakuto, but he didn't speak.

Sayomi looked over at Kensei to see that he seemed to be paying more attention now. He looked over at her from the corner of his eyes briefly before turning back to the two above them.

"I ain't as nice as Shinji. You can transform, or...I'll kill you," she said as she pulled her mask over her face.

There was a dramatic shift in her spirit pressure as she did, it surprised Ichigo whose eyes widened as he stared at Hiyori in disbelief.

Sayomi watched with a frown, in his surprise, Ichigo's guard had dropped and Hiyori had taken the opportunity to attack him. She slammed her palm into his stomach sending him flying into the concrete wall several yards behind him. He recovered immediately and was able to dodge the next fist she threw at him, but he couldn't evade the kick she sent at him right after. This time he collided with the floor just in front of Shinji, who was dusting himself off and muttering under his breath as he reentered the warehouse. He squealed in surprise and reeled backwards, falling unceremoniously on his butt in the process.

No one paid the blond any mind however, as Hiyori flew at Ichigo again. Their fight was rough, Ichigo was getting tossed around like a useless sack and Hiyori had yet to even draw her zanpakuto.

Everyone had strayed from the line they had been in on the first floor as the fight progressed. Lisa was now on the third floor leaning against a pillar, with her usual naughty magazine in hand. Shinji, Rose and Love were on the second floor watching the fight. Hachi was sitting on the floor on the first level trying his best to keep the barriers steady. Mashiro wasn't too far in front of him also watching the fight. Her and Kensei where on the first floor still, Sayomi leaning against Kensei as she craned her neck to watch the fight above her.

"You ok Hacchan," Mashiro asked as the older, large man made a small noise when Ichigo was sent harshly into yet another wall.

"Definitely not ok," he replied as sweat rolled down his forehead.

Sayomi glanced over at the man and sighed, she straightened up and walked over to him. She sat beside him, setting her zanpakuto beside her, and began chanting under her breath before slamming her hands onto the ground. She heard Hachi sigh in relief as she added two of her own barriers so that Hachi wouldn't have to expend so much energy. Just as she finished strengthening her own barriers she realized that Hiyori was in the process of unsheathing her sword.

She scowled, but kept the barriers she had worked on steady. She watched carefully as Hiyori renewed her assault on Ichigo. Ichigo was a bloody mess, his kimono was torn to pieces and there were cuts and bruises on almost every inch of him. He was out of breath and barely able to block and dodge Hiyori's attacks. By watching him, she could tell he was trying to figure out how it was that Hiyori was able to stay in her hollow form without going insane.

Sayomi growled as Hiyori landed a rather brutal hit to Ichigo's left side, blood spurted from his wounded shoulder and he cried out in pain. She looked over to Kensei who upon sensing her, turned to look at her, when he saw the look she wore he nodded and returned his attention to the fight, his body tensing.

"Sorry Hachi," Sayomi said as she released the barriers she had put up. At least the man was no longer sweating or as distressed as he had been. Picking up Fuyukaze and standing, she made her way to stand next to Kensei, her right hand firmly grasping the hilt of her sword as her left held the intricate sheath.

She was the first to move into action when Ichigo's spirit energy suddenly shifted and the white of a hollow mask began to coalesce over the left side of his face. Everyone else was too stunned by the sheer strength being emitted by the orange haired boy as he flew at Hiyori that they didn't move. Ichigo's hand clasped around Hiyori's throat as a harsh, crazy laugh escaped his throat. He slammed her into a wall and it was then that Kensei seemed to realize Sayomi had already moved. He flew after her and the others quickly followed suit.

Sayomi drew her zanpakuto letting the sheath fall to the ground as she flashed towards Ichigo. She had her zanpakuto at his throat a second after he pinned Hiyori to the wall. Yanking him away from the girl whose eyes were beginning to roll into the back of her head, Sayomi threw him towards the floor. She landed beside him just as everyone else surrounded them. Eight zanpakuto were aimed to kill if he so much as twitched.

Sayomi was knelt beside Kensei, who had also pinned Ichigo's hand to the ground with one of his booted feet. Fuyukaze was held in her right hand, angled across her body, her left hand between her chest and the silver blade, the tip of which was stuck in the white mask on Ichigo's face. Without hesitation she pulled her sword from the mask. As she did, the the mask shattered and crumbled to the ground. Her, Kensei and Shinji stayed in their positions, but the others withdrew their swords and stepped back. Sayomi turned and nodded to Kensei who withdrew his blade as well, and took his weight off of Ichigo's hand. He straightened himself up and stepped back as well.

She remained crouched beside Ichigo as Shinji stood up and began to walk away from them.

"You should get it now, Ichigo. That hollow in ya, isn't gonna be pushed down by your mind or body." Shinji said.

"Unfortunately, it's not that easy," Sayomi said as she pulled her zanpakuto away from Ichigo's face and stood up.

"What do you think, Hiyori," Shinji said as he turned to her, she was panting and looking at Ichigo in shock.

She didn't say anything as she wiped at her face with the red sleeve of her jogging sweater.

"We'll teach ya how to suppress the hollow," Shinji said before turning and walking from the group.

Ichigo blinked after Shinji before turning his eyes up to Sayomi's.

"I'm glad you came. You were beginning to grow too unstable, I would have had to kill you soon," she said to him.

He didn't reply to her statement only continued to stare at her.

"Come on, you're a mess. We need to get you patched up."

* * *

"Tell me again why this is necessary. I already told you he would be able to do this for days," Sayomi said as she tilted her head back to look at Kensei.

He was sitting on one of the chairs wrapping his hands in white athletic tape. She was leaning against his knees with her head now resting in his lap.

"Shut up," he grunted.

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly and went back to watching Ichigo huff and puff on the walker that Hiyori had stuck him on. Three days ago.

"I'm bored," she said after a few minutes as she leaned her head into Kensei's lap again.

"And?"

"Entertain me."

"Borrow one of Lisa's porn mags. She's supposed to be watching the shinigami guy anyway," Kensei answered.

"Shut up, you two are ruining it," Lisa said distractedly.

"He has a name," Sayomi reminded him. "It's Ichigo."

"Like I give a shit," Kensei grunted.

"You are no fun old man," Sayomi said as she stood up from the floor and dusted off her white tank top and light jeans.

"Screw you," Kensei grumbled.

Sayomi smirked and walked behind Kensei, leaning down, she whispered in his ear. "Now that might be entertaining."

Kensei's head snapped up as Sayomi began to walk away, a grin on her face. He stood up from the chair and followed after her. As they walked into the hallway Lisa began to shout out 'one-two' repeatedly to keep Ichigo 'on track' as Love had suggested.

Sayomi sighed when she heard Ichigo start yelling and Hiyori and Shinji joining in a moment later.

"I'm gonna kill that shinigami ass," Kensei said gruffly as they both turned around and walked back to the main room.

"Well, you'll have your chance soon," Sayomi replied as they walked in in time to see Shinji put a hand before Ichigo's face. There was a flash of light and Ichigo collapsed. Love caught him and slung his limp body over his shoulder.

"Let's go," Shinji said as he turned towards the stairwell that would lead to the underground training room.

Everyone followed after him, Sayomi walking beside Love as they made their way down the long flight of stairs. Once at the bottom, Love sat Ichigo down on the dirt and the all circled him.

"Hachi, throw up another barrier here too," Shinji said.

"Ehhh..."

"Don't 'ehhhh' me, it's not cute for an old guy to say eh," Shinji replied. "Also, I want you to seal all of his limbs."

"I'll take care of that part. Just take care of the barrier," Sayomi said as she lowered herself onto her knees a few yards in front of Ichigo.

"Yes ma'am," Hachi replied.

Sayomi clasped her hands before her and began to chant. "Walls of iron sand, a priestly pagoda, glowing iron clad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end." As she chanted, little balls of light slipped from between her entwined fingers, they collected above her hands and formed five balls of bright light, "Bakudo seventy five; Gochuu Tekkan!" And with that she slammed her clasped hands into the dirt. Five large iron pillars formed above Ichigo before slamming down onto his body. One on each arm and leg and the last one at his neck.

She stood up again and walked over to Shinji just as Ichigo's body began to shake and tremble. The iron pillars holding him down began to shake as well. She actually had to shield her eyes a moment later when his spiritual pressure increased so dramatically a wind was stirred up around his body. Using his arms Ichigo began to lift his upper body as his white and red bird like mask formed over his face.

"How are we going to do this," Sayomi asked Shinji.

"Open up the wall over here, Hachi. It was my day on watch so I'll start," Lisa called answering her question.

"Just don't kill him," Shinji replied.

"That's assuming he doesn't kill me first," Lisa stated as she walked through the opening in the barrier around Ichigo. The pillars had all broken now and Ichigo stood up, grabbing the zanpakuto beside him and flying at her.

Sayomi walked over to Kensei who was sitting in the dirt a few yards away. The rest of the group was scattered around either sitting in the dirt or on one of the many boulders in the large room.

"Ten minutes," Sayomi asked.

"Yeah," Kensei answered. "I'll go after Lisa."

"I'll go last," Sayomi said.

Kensei looked over at her, wondering just what she was up to now, but said nothing. She was looking straight ahead of her, her attention focused on Ichigo as he fought Lisa.

There was a flare in Ichigo's reiatsu as the orange haired boy came to a sudden halt. Lisa watched him cautiously, her zanpakuto held out before her.

"Has it finally began," Shinji asked.

'Don't lose, Ichigo. I don't want to have to kill you,' Sayomi thought. 'Don't lose.'

No one responded, but Kensei looked over to Sayomi again. Her eyes had narrowed slightly and if he hadn't known better he would have thought she was bored by the look on her face. He did know her better though, and the look on her face, though blank, showed her concern for the orange haired boy.

'What do you think, Fuyukaze,' Sayomi thought. 'At the moment he's still not at full power, he will be when we go in though. If we go last I don't intended to let anyone else fight him again. Obviously why I said I would go last. I meant it.'

'_He's getting stronger rapidly, but we should be fine. If need be though you may have to change yourself_,' Fuyukaze replied.

'I will, but only as a last resort. I don't want to kill him.'

'_You may have to though, if he can't_-'

'He will.'

'_Of course he will_.'

* * *

"Two...One... Ten minutes. Hey Hachi, open it up," Kensei shouted as he stood up from the ground.

"Kensei," Sayomi called as he walked forward, he turned back to look at her but her eyes were still focused on Ichigo. "Don't kill him."

Kensei scoffed, but otherwise ignored her. He flew through the opening in the barrier just as Ichigo was about to attack Lisa head on. Kensei flashed in front of the wounded girl and his elbow collided with Ichigo's stomach. The force sent Ichigo back a few feet in the dirt.

"Time's up," Kensei said to the out of breath Lisa. "Switch places."

"Hey Shinji, how are we dividing the breaks," Lisa asked as she exited the barrier.

Shinji opened his mouth to speak, but Sayomi cut him off.

"Including myself, there are eight of us. Eight, ten minute intervals. We can't count Hachi since he's concentrating on the barrier. That also means that it's likely one or two of us might not get a turn."

Sayomi went back to watching the fight, scowling when Kensei introduced himself and told Ichigo he was going to kill him. She watched as Kensei slashed through Ichigo's left shoulder, blood spurted from the wound for a few seconds before a white substance ballooned from it, healing it. Her brows drew together at this new information. Super accelerated regeneration wasn't unusual for a hollow, but he wasn't even fully transformed yet.

"I say not to kill him, so what does he do?" Sayomi grumbled to herself as Kensei sent a blast of energy at Ichigo. "Blows his limbs off instead." Not that she was surprised, Kensei's fighting style was rather straight forward and brutal. He liked blowing stuff up and ending his fights quickly.

"Hey, hey," Love started to say worriedly as Kensei attacked yet again.

Sayomi was off the ground an instant later, her lips drawn in a thin line and her eyes narrowed slightly. The arm that Kensei had just blown off had begun to regenerate, but instead of an arm, a large mouth formed out of the white substance and attacked Kensei.

"What the hell," Kensei cursed as the thing came at him. He raised his combat knife like zanpakuto and blocked the mouth from being able to bite his head off. Grunting, Kensei sent another energy bast through the mouth, splattering it over the area.

Ichigo's face was now completely masked and his left side and arm where also now covered in the white armor like skin of a hollow.

"Well, that was a pretty quick transformation," Kensei said with a smirk.

'Don't get cocky now you fool,' Sayomi thought, 'He'll kill you. I told you not to underestimate him, do you see why now?'

"When my turn comes around again, I'll be sure to end this," Lisa spoke up.

Sayomi's light blue eyes trailed over to the bruised and scratched girl. "You won't be taking another turn," she said.

Lisa looked over at her in surprise, but Sayomi's eyes were already back on the fight.

"I'll take care of this myself, if it comes to that. No one else but me will be killing him," Sayomi said, although everyone knew it was an order. Her face had hardened and her eyes were now distant as she contemplated her options.

She thought of all the others and how long the transformations had taken for the rest of them. The longest had been her. Barely, Hiyori had been only a few seconds behind. It had taken almost seventy minutes for her to beat the hollow inside of her. By that time she was almost a full hollow and she was very close to being killed by Kensei, who had insisted on fighting her out of turn.

She hadn't known it then, but he was already in love with her. He had apparently loved her for years, he just never said anything. After all, she was engaged to a nobleman who was a captain and the head of his clan. All he felt he had to offer was himself, which since she was already spoken for he didn't feel would mean anything.

When she had found out that he had loved her she had been surprised. They had worked together for years before she had been promoted to his lieutenant and then to captain of the tenth squad after her father's death. In that time though he had never once said anything to make her believe they were anything but friends. Their friendship was a bit twisted. They fought constantly and both felt they were always right. They would spar a lot which was good for both of them, it helped Sayomi learn to control her short temper and become a better and more skilled fighter. Kensei on the other hand just liked the time he got to spend with her, she challenged him and would actually stand up to him. If he wasn't in the mood though, she would back down immediately, she may like to fight, but she wasn't an idiot. Fighting him when he was seriously pissed off was not a good idea.

They had worked well together despite their many quarrels, they were serious when they needed to be and could easily join together to accomplish any task they were given. She knew that it would have been hard for him to see her killed by anyone else's hand, so he wanted to be the one to deal the finishing blow, if it came to that.

Luckily for her it didn't. Barely, a few more seconds and she would have been blown to pieces by Kensei's zanpakuto, Tachikaze. She didn't remember much of that day, she didn't care to. It had started out like the majority of those days did for her. Her waking up alone and with no one to go to, no fiance, no family and no home. She had been betrayed by her own family, her own flesh and blood that she hadn't seen in years and she would never forget that night. The night changed her entire life. In some ways it was better, she had Kensei now and she didn't think she would change that. She had been happy for a little while. Now though she knew it was all coming to an end, she no longer cared about living. She cared about her revenge. She didn't care about the other two traitors, she only wanted to get her hands on the one. The one she called her brother.

And she would do anything to get to him. She had formed her resolve and she was going to kill the man that had smiled at her as she lay in a pool of her own blood after having attacked her brother as the newly awakened hollow in her tried to overtake her. He had cut her down himself and would have killed her had Kisuke not come along with Tessai.

Remaining upright, Sayomi watched as Kensei was replaced by Mashiro, Hiyori, Rose, and then Shinji. After Shinji, Love was going to take his turn. By then sixty minutes would have passed, if by seventy minutes Ichigo hadn't won his fight he would need to be eliminated, it was almost certain that by then he would be a full hollow. As it was now at almost sixty minutes he was almost entirely transformed.

Love stood up after a nod from Kensei, Sayomi gritted her teeth but said nothing as the tall man entered the barrier and Shinji exited. With a quick glance back at Kensei who wasn't really paying her any attention, Sayomi walked closer to where Hachi sat on the ground as he kept watch over the barrier.

"When I tell you to, open a door for me. Do not let anyone else in after that, understood," Sayomi asked.

Hachi started slightly at her command and tried to stutter out a refusal, but after looking up to see her face he nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Good," she replied.

Kensei looked over to Sayomi who was talking quietly to Hachi, he saw the surprise and fear on Hachi's face as she said something to him that he apparently didn't like. The large man then tried to stutter something out but a single look from Sayomi was enough to get him to nod in approval. He stood from his spot on a ledge in a boulder and made his way towards Sayomi.

Sayomi saw Kensei walking towards her and growled. "Open it," she hissed.

Hachi did as he was told and a door opened in the barrier a few feet in front of them.

Kensei started shouting at her as she flashed to the door, Hiyori stood up and shouted as well. As a matter of fact, the only one not shouting, besides Hachi of course, was Shinji. He sat on the top of a near by rock watching calmly as Sayomi flew towards Love, her hand going to the hilt of her zanpakuto that was now hung over her back on a silver chain, the hilt over her right shoulder. She drew the sword in a fluid move as she appeared before a surprised Love. The sunglass wearing man started to protest as Sayomi knelt to block a blow from Ichigo's sword.

"Sorry Love," she said as she kicked Ichigo away and turned to shove the stunned man out the open door. "Close it!" She shouted.

The second Love stepped out of the barrier the door shut and a very pissed off Kensei was glaring at her from just beyond where it had been. He turned back to Hachi and ordered him to open the door back up.

"Leave it," Shinji called calmly. "She's just going in a little early. Besides she ordered him not open it again"

"I don't give a shit," Kensei shouted. "She's coming out of there when her turns over."

"I'm sorry," Hachi said. "But I won't be opening the door."

Kensei opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted when Sayomi suddenly spoke. Her voice was low and cold.

"If anyone steps in this barrier before I say so, believe me when I say, I will kill them myself. I will take care of this from here." She stated.

"Are you going to let her do this, Shinji," Hiyori shouted.

"We don't have a choice. Even if she didn't kill us for stepping in that barrier, he would," he answered as he nodded in Ichigo's direction.

Kensei clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes angrily as he watched Sayomi dance around Ichigo.

Sayomi fought Ichigo for several minutes, keeping track of time in her head as best she could. If she was right it was almost sixty eight minutes since Ichigo had begun the transformation. She had been in the barrier for almost four minutes. She had a few scratches on her arms and a pretty good gash in her neck. Blood was staining her white shirt and running down her arm as she faced Ichigo, who as far as she could tell, was now completely transformed.

'Dammit,' she thought as she gripped Fuyukaze with both hands.

She grunted as one of Ichigo's hands, that were now more like taloned claws came at her chest. Stepping to her right and spinning she was able to avoid the claw, but not the taloned foot that came at her next. She bit back a cry of pain as three large rips spread across her right side.

"Sayomi," she heard Kensei yell.

Falling to her knees, she grasped her side with her left hand, blood poured over her fingers, staining her clothes and the dirt beneath her.

Putting the tip of Fuyukaze in the dirt in front of her, she hefted herself up. Taking a deep breath she steeled herself for the next attack, her face went blank and her eyes became emotionless as she watched Ichigo. She could hear Kensei arguing with Shinji to make Hachi open a door, but Shinji wouldn't listen. He sat completely still and watched.

Sayomi's eyes widened as Ichigo held out a hand before him, she could feel the spirit energy he was collecting and she immediately raised a hand to her face. As she pulled down on the air, a white mask began to form over her face. The whites of her eyes darkened and her pupils narrowed into slits. As the mask came together it was revealed to be very feline like in appearance with black stripes on the cheeks that looked like whiskers. It had thin, sharp needle like teeth across the mouth and narrowed eyes. There were also three black dots spaced over the forehead and two cat like ears that stuck up from the mask as it curved over her forehead. The mask didn't cover her entire head, just her face and the crown of her head where the little ears were.

She put her left hand in front of her just as Ichigo fired off the cero he had been preparing.

There was shouting and yelling from outside the barrier trying to force Hachi to get Sayomi out. They were all drowned out though as a static like sound crackled loudly before there was a loud explosion. Dust and debris clouded the air in the barrier making it impossible to see what the outcome of the blast had been. The entire room fell silent, listening for any sound of life from the other side of the barrier.

Sayomi stood stock still in the midst of the dust and smoke listening and waiting. Her zanpakuto was held out before her as she lowered herself into a defensive crouch. Her eyes scanned the area as the smoke and dust began to clear, but still nothing happened.

She gasped in surprise when a white hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her from her crouch.

'Shit, shit, shit,' she thought frantically as her air supply was suddenly cut off. 'How did I not sense him? I'm the most sensitive here and I couldn't even feel a thing. It's good no one else was in here, I think they'd be dead by now.'

In her current position, cutting through his arm would be difficult so instead she settled for twirling her sword in her right hand to gain some momentum, as the hilt slid over the back of her hand and back into her palm she struck out at Ichigo. She sliced through the tough armor on his side, causing him to screech loudly and drop her.

She landed in a semi-crouch, her head tilted up to watch as Ichigo's side regenerated instantaneously.

'Dammit, he's a lot stronger then I thought he'd be,' she thought to herself as she side stepped and flashed away from a head on attack.

She spun and aimed her zanpakuto for Ichigo's throat, but it was easily blocked when he grabbed the blade with his hand and wrenched it away from her. He tossed it aside carelessly and tried to grab her. She disappeared from her spot in an attempt to reclaim her discarded zanpakuto. Ichigo was right behind her and she knew it. Growling, she turned abruptly and swung a fist at his head. It was grabbed and twisted painfully. She didn't scream or show any hint of pain as the muscles and tendons tore apart. Tearing her hand away from him and letting it hang limply at her right side, she spun again and flashed towards her zanpakuto.

"Get her out of there," Kensei shouted.

"Shinji, you gotta get her out. Now," Love yelled frantically.

The dust and smoke finally cleared and Sayomi was now visible to everyone. She wasn't much worse than she had been moments before the blast, but it was obvious she was being overpowered.

She picked up her zanpakuto and swung around in time to block the talons coming at her. She wasn't as skilled with her left hand, but she managed to slice through Ichigo's arm and quickly land another blow to his side. She jumped backwards as Ichigo tried to retaliate and shoved his talons toward her throat.

"I'm sorry Ichigo," she said as he flew at her while howling loudly. Holding her sword steady and not moving as he charged at her Sayomi prepared to strike out at his mask, she would have landed the hit too, if he hadn't disappeared at the last second. Her eyes widened and she was jolted forward suddenly.

Looking down, she saw that one of Ichigo's taloned hands was protruding grotesquely from her stomach. She coughed up a stream of crimson as he withdrew his hand. She struggled for breath as everyone outside screamed and yelled at Hachi to let them in.

"No," she shouted. "This is my fight. He is my friend, I will deal with this. Remember who I am you fools!"

No one heeded her shouts and continued to badger Hachi to open a door into the barrier.

"I've had enough of this," Sayomi said as she pushed herself up from the ground.

The hollow Ichigo cackled wildly as he prepared to fire another cero at Sayomi, the shouting behind her intensified, but she held her ground. Holding Fuyukaze in front of her, its blade parallel to the ground she pointed a finger towards Ichigo and gathered a stifling amount of energy into her own cero. Just as she prepared to fire the cero, Ichigo's armored body began to tremble.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed and she dropped her hand.

"Get her out," Lisa yelled.

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted as she turned towards them and crouched, tucking her head into her chest and hiding her face behind her arms, not a second later an explosion tore through the barrier.

"What the hell happened?!"

"Where is he?!"

"Sayomi!"

"Hachi," Shinji said calmly.

"Yes sir," he replied as he released the barrier.

Everyone was in an uproar as they ran towards where the fight had been taking place. Swords were drawn and not a single person was going to be holding back.

"Stay back," they heard Sayomi shout.

Surprised by the sudden order everyone halted in their steps. There was a sudden gust of ice cold wind and all the dust began to clear.

Standing before them was Sayomi, her back to them and blood staining her white hair from the large rip in her back where Ichigo had stabbed her. The mask that had been covering her face was gone and her pale skin was dirty and smeared with blood. Dirt clung to the crimson liquid pouring from her many cuts. Her breathing quickened and her shoulders were rising and falling rapidly. Her right hand hung uselessly at her side and her left grasped the hilt of her sword that looked as if it where about to fall from her grasp. In front of her, facing them, was Ichigo. There was a cracking noise as the white armor that had covered him fell and shattered loudly, most of the pieces disintegrating before they could hit the floor.

"Ichigo," Sayomi asked.

"S-Sayomi," he questioned back, blinking at her as his eyes cleared and returned to their normal amber color.

Sighing, Sayomi dropped her zanpakuto as Ichigo fell face first into the dirt. She followed suit, dropping to her knees, her head falling into her chest.

"So how do you feel," she asked through her raspy breaths.

"Great," he replied, his voice was strained and tired.

She chuckled. "Good."

"Are you-"

"I'm fine," she cut in. "I'm stronger than I look."

Ichigo's eyes showed the guilt he felt at knowing he had been the one to hurt her, unintentionally, but that didn't matter to him. He was the one who had hurt her, it was his body, his hands, his sword. They might not have been the best of friends, but he still didn't wish to harm her.

Kensei glared at Ichigo as he walked over to Sayomi and knelt by her side. He carefully leaned her against him and lifted her into his arms as she passed out. "Stupid, stubborn woman," he grumbled under his breath as he made his way to Hachi.

"Will she be-"

"She'll be fine," Shinji said, answering Ichigo's question before he could fully ask it.

"Good," he sighed before drifting into unconsciousness himself.

* * *

Sayomi groggily blinked her eyes open and and winced when she tried to move her right hand to rub at her eyes. She moved a little, to see just how badly torn up she was. It wasn't as bad as she had expected. Her right arm was bandaged and splinted, her stomach was wrapped in thick bandages as well. Her whole midsection hurt, she wasn't that surprised since she had been clawed and then stabbed by Ichigo. Other than that there were a few minor cuts and some bruises.

"What the hell where you thinking?"

"Not now Kensei," Sayomi said as she raised her left hand to rub at the bridge of her nose.

"You almost got yourself killed. I think I deserve to at least now what you were thinking," he snapped.

"I was thinking that if he was going to die it should at least be by the hand of someone he knows and not a stranger. Satisfied? Now leave me the hell alone, I'm not in the mood for this," she said as she turned her head away from Kensei, who was glaring at her from his seat against the wall by her door.

"What exactly are you planning?"

"Right now I'm planning on kicking your ass if you don't leave me alone," she snapped.

"You distance yourself until the day before he shows up. The day you ran out to watch his fight with the Arrancar. What happened?" He asked gruffly.

"Nothing," she stated.

"Bullshit. Something happened and I want to know what."

"Too bad, there's nothing to tell," Sayomi replied.

"You're lying. If you betray us Sayomi, I will never forgive you. Remember that," Kensei said as he stood up and left her room, slamming the door behind him.

Sayomi sighed as she closed her eyes. "Well at least that makes me feel a little bit better."

'_I told you they would catch on to what you're doing_,' Fuyukaze said snidely.

'I don't want to hear it Fuyukaze. I don't care much anyway, at least now I know he will hate me in the end. It'll be easier that way than thinking he still loves me. I might just be able to move on that way.'

'_He'll always love you. Love doesn't just die_.'

'We'll see about that.'

* * *

Please review!


	15. Chapter 15 Reunions

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Kidnappings and Reunions**

Sayomi leaned against a rock, her legs stretched out before her and her hands resting in her lap. She was watching Hiyori fight Ichigo in an attempt to get the fiery teen to be able to keep his hollow form for longer than the four seconds he currently could. It had been two weeks since he had come to them and had beaten the hollow in his soul, but he had yet to learn how to harness that power for a long enough period of time for it to be effective.

Glancing to her right, she sighed when Kensei looked over at her when he felt her icy blue eyes on him but promptly turned away, an angry scowl on his face.'I see he's still angry and suspicious. I should have just kept them at a distance. It would have been easier that way, having him so suspicious is making it difficult to do anything or go anywhere without his guard automatically going up.'

'_You said yourself you would rather he hate you, do you still want that_,' Fuyukaze asked.

'It would be better than this. At least then I would know he hated me, that he felt something for me. Right now, I can't tell if he hates me, loves me, or wants to kill me. If he would just say one way or the other, I would have something to go off of.'

She took a small breath and her eyes cornered to the stairs leading upstairs. Not wanting anyone to notice what she had, she remained sitting for a little while and watched the fight with disinterest. After a few minutes of that and noticing that the reiatsu she had felt was going unnoticed, but was still there, she stood up and headed to the stairs.

"I'm going for a walk. I can't keep watching him get his ass kicked," she said blandly as she waved a hand towards Ichigo as he blocked a blow from Hiyori.

"Hey, I'm not getting my-"

"You were saying," Sayomi stated boredly, waving a hand daintily in the air, as Ichigo was struck in the jaw and sent flying into the already dented boulder behind him.

"Pay attention dumb ass," Hiyori shouted at him.

"I'll go with you," Kensei spoke up suddenly just as she started up the steps.

She twitched slightly, but turned back to him and nodded silently.

He stood up from his spot on the dirt and walked over to her. She turned just as he was at her side and walked away without a word as he fell into step with her.

"Where are you going," he asked, trying to sound casual despite his suspicions of her as they exited the warehouse.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, she didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to track the reiatsu she still felt lingering in the area. "I just needed some fresh air,"

"What are you planning, Sayomi," Kensei asked, he sounded almost tired.

She sighed and shook her head, looking up at the sky she stopped. "I'm not planning anything Kensei. Not anymore." What she said wasn't a lie, she was no longer planning, she was waiting for an opportunity to present itself and if she knew Aizen, it would. Soon. Which is why she was interested in finding the reiatsu she could still sense.

"You still plan on killing him though, don't you?"

She nodded.

"How?"

"How isn't important as long as he's dead," she replied coldly.

"You just can't get over anything, can you? It's freaking stupid. Why can't you just be content with what you have?"

"With you, right? I am, it's you that's not. You, that's been pushing me away and treating me like I'm going to stab you in the back when you're not looking. If that was the case, you know well enough I wouldn't stab you in the back, I'd make sure you saw it coming, and you would already be dead."

"You're such a pain in the damn ass. You don't get the fact that you started this, you brought the suspicion on yourself the second you started pushing everyone away. And you're still doing it, just less obviously," Kensei retorted angrily.

"I don't want to argue with you Kensei, so either shut up and walk with me or go home," Sayomi replied.

"Fine. Just don't be out long, there's still soul reapers around," he said before turning and stalking back to the warehouse.

She watched him go and started walking again. She took her time at first before she broke out into a run and sped down the streets of the city towards the reiatsu, she stopped suddenly when it disappeared. She looked around and saw that she was by the river, in a large field, the grass here was almost to her knees and it was swaying in the chill breeze that was blowing. Her white hair stirred around her shoulders and she turned so suddenly, materializing her zanpakuto and pressing it against the pale neck of the man behind her that the butterflies that were resting nearby all flew off the flowers they had been resting on.

"You again," she said blandly as she looked into the green eyes of the arrancar Ulquiorra.

"Would you remove your sword from my throat," he asked coldly.

"I suppose, but the next time you try to sneak up on me...Well just don't," she said as her sword disintegrated and reformed her bracelet. It tinkled softly as she lowered her hand to her side.

"I have a message for you, I was asked not to draw any unnecessary attention."

"What's the message," Sayomi asked, calmly folding her arms over her chest and lifting a brow in mild interest.

"Aizen-sama wishes to have you come to Hueco Muendo, as his honored guest," Ulquiorra said.

"Do you ever show emotion?" Sayomi asked curiously, the man had yet to do anything other than look bored and speak as if he were cold as ice.

"No."

"Hmm, ok then. I can't just go running off to visit Aizen-sama, I need a little help," Sayomi replied, folding her arms over her chest and tilting her head to stare at the emotionless man.

"He knew you would say that, so he told me to tell you...."

"I told you he would want her alive," she said after listening to the plan that had been devised to kidnap Orihime, and herself. She stifled a satisfied chuckle at the slight twitch her comment caused.

"Your answer," he replied coldly.

"Tell Aizen-sama I look forward to seeing him very soon."

Ulquiorra nodded before turning and ripping through a small patch of air behind him. A large dark portal opened and he stepped through it, turning to gaze at her with his dark, calculating eyes as the portal swallowed him from view.

"Well, this should be interesting," she commented to herself before turning and heading back to the warehouse.

* * *

A week and a half past and Sayomi was in the process of trying to sleep, but finding it difficult. She sighed and flipped over onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

'_If you want to go to him, then go to him_,' Fuyukaze said to her.

'He'll just kick me out, or think I'm up to something,' Sayomi replied.

'_Maybe, but you'll never know unless you try_.'

They were speaking of Kensei of course. He was speaking to her more now, but he was still rather guarded and suspicious. They spent little time together aside from the occasional walks they would take together. He was still distancing himself from her, not that she could blame him, and she wasn't exactly trying to get closer to him. That fact hadn't escaped his notice, and she knew that, she also knew that had a lot to do with why he was still so suspicious of her. She wondered what he would think if she just barged into his room in the middle of the night.

'Only one way to find out, right,' she thought as she threw her sheets off of herself and stood up.

She walked quietly down the halls, casting a strange look at Mashiro's door as she passed it. There were weird meows coming from inside the room.

At the end of the hall was Kensei's room, the rooms around his were all empty which is why he had chosen this room. He liked his privacy and didn't want to be too close to the others.

She didn't bother knocking on the door, she opened it and stepped inside, closing it quietly behind her. Kensei was apparently having trouble sleeping too, he was watching her with guarded eyes. His hands were behind his head and he was stretched comfortably over his bed. He didn't say anything as Sayomi walked through the darkness to the foot of the bed before leaning down to crawl over him until her face was above his, her hair hanging around her like a curtain.

"I'm sorry Kensei," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He still said nothing as she laid her body over his and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry I've never loved you the way I should have. Or told you that I really do love you so very much Kensei. You are the world to me, you make life worth living and regardless of what you may think, I need you. You are the one thing that has been a constant in my life for such a long time and I can't tell you how much that really means to me. I'm sorry you feel that I'm going to betray you, I really am," she said, her voice cracking near the end.

When he didn't say anything still she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. He was watching her intently, but there was an uncertainty in his eyes as if he thought this was just an act. Lowering her lips to his, she kissed his lips gently before trailing kisses down his chin to his collarbone.

"What are you doing, Sayomi," he asked quietly.

"I don't like the distance between us, Kensei. I love you and I want to spend the night wrapped in your arms. I want to feel safe again, I have a feeling that the peace won't be lasting much longer and I want to spend what's left with you."

"Why?"

"I told you, I love you."

He didn't say anything to her again and she bit at her bottom lip before shaking her head as a few tears slipped from her eyes. She pushed herself away from him and made to get up from his bed.

"Sorry I bothered you. I didn't mean to,"she said as she stood up.

Removing his hands from behind his head, Kensei grabbed her hand and tugged her back down gently. She looked at him uncertainly, she had poured her heart out to him and he could only question her intentions. She didn't blame him, but it was still painful.

"What's going on with you," he asked as he brushed the tears from her face with his thumbs.

"I just have a feeling things are going to change soon, and I want to make sure you know I love you. Just in case."

"In case of what?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I don't know really."

They looked into each others' eyes for a few seconds before Sayomi leaned forward and kissed Kensei. He responded this time, putting one hand behind her neck and another at her lower back and pulling her closer to him. Putting her hands against his chest, Sayomi lifted the jersey he hadn't bothered to change out of over his head, breaking their kiss for a few seconds to do so. As soon as the shirt was gone, their lips were feverishly moving together and they clutched onto one another tightly.

Sayomi put her palms against Kensei's bare chest and pushed him back, their lips never parting as he laid on his back and Sayomi positioned herself over him. Finally breaking the kiss, Sayomi trailed kisses down his jaw and to his neck before sitting up to pull the blue nightgown she had been wearing over her head before tossing to the floor carelessly.

Kensei's hands lightly traced the contours of her body making her sigh from the pleasure of his touch on her skin. Leaning forward, their lips met again and they would barely part from each other for the rest of the night.

* * *

Kensei awoke to the sun beating in through his single window right into his eyes. He squinted against the harsh glare before turning to look at the empty spot beside him. Frowning, he realized several things in quick succession.

One, it was around noon judging by the way the sun was beating in through his window.

Two, Sayomi had left awhile before he had woken, the spot where she should have been wasn't even warm.

Three, Sayomi apologized and had even cried. Sayomi would rarely apologize unless she truly did feel sorry for what she had done, and she rarely did anything she didn't think about first. The crying was what got him now. She hadn't even cried over the deaths of her parents, she wasn't one to cry easily.

"Damn it," he muttered as he got out of bed and quickly got dressed before throwing open his door and shouting for Sayomi.

"Eh, geez Kensei waz with the yelling? Sayomi went to the store for stuff to make dinner," Shinji drawled as he sat up from his position on the couch and rubbed at his eyes.

"How long ago," Kensei asked, barely managing to keep the anger he felt out of his voice.

"Ehh," he groaned as he looked at the clock above the television. "Hmmm, maybe ten minutes ago."

Kensei relaxed slightly, if she had gone to the store she would be gone for at least forty-five minutes to an hour. Even though that time hadn't elapsed something didn't sit well with him.

"I'm going to go find her," he said as he made his way to the door.

He wasn't even halfway there when there was a sudden shift in spiritual pressures as four strong energies suddenly appeared above the city.

"Let me go dammit!"

Kensei and Shinji both turned their heads to see that Love and Rose were trying, unsuccessfully, to detain a very enthusiastic Ichigo. Kensei took hold of the arm that Love was forced to release as the orange haired boy jerked it away and attempted to make a break for the door.

"Ya ain't going anywhere, now calm down," Kensei ordered.

"Let me go!" Ichigo shouted as he struggled against the two holding him.

"Let your soul reaper friends handle it, it's what they're here for," Kensei grunted as Ichigo continued to struggle forcefully.

"It's what I'm training for! If I don't go now, then what the hell am I here for!?"

Kensei opened his mouth to shout out an answer, but Shinji stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Kensei's shirt. "Let him go."

"What the hell are you thinking, Shinji," Kensei yelled as he released his grip on Ichigo, who immediately flashed out of the room.

"He needs to learn his limits," Shinji replied.

"He's going to get himself killed!"

"I would've thought you'd be more worried 'bout Sayomi."

Kensei seemed a little surprised by the sudden statement and clenched his fists before muttering a long line of curses and heading to the door.

"Hey, hey Kensei, wai-"

"Let him go Love," Shinji called in his usual lazy drawl as he lowered himself down to the ground and leaned against a large rock.

* * *

Sayomi was leaning casually against a tree, looking up into the cloudy blue sky as a large rip appeared and four people dressed in white stepped out of the blackness behind it. Two were familiar to her, the other two were not. She stayed where she was as she watched the blue haired man, Grimmjow, break away from the group and head in the direction that she could sense Ichigo's spiritual pressure. She could feel an angry presence headed her way, but she didn't care, she sped off in the direction that Grimmjow had gone. It seemed the man really didn't care about orders, only his personal vendettas.

She halted near the fight that was already in progress and watched Ichigo and Grimmjow, who Sayomi noticed was missing his left arm. Not caring that she was in plain sight staring at something no one else could see, she stood in the middle of the street with her head tilted towards the sky, watching as Ichigo drew out his inner hollow and his white and red mask formed over his face. Grimmjow seemed a little surprised by the sudden shift in Ichigo's reiatsu and barely managed to draw his sword in time to block Ichigo's zanpakuto that was in its ban-kai state as it nearly sliced his chest open.

The two broke apart and seconds later Ichigo sent a blade of black energy at Grimmjow who was unable to avoid it. Once the sky cleared enough for Sayomi to get a good look at the man, she saw the damage that had been done. He was covered in blood from his head all the way down to his abdomen.

Frowning, Sayomi decided to get closer and ran into an alleyway to avoid being seen as she flashed her way to the highest rooftop she could get to. When she managed to look back up at the fight Ichigo was behind a stunned Grimmjow, his black blade held out before him. Another wave of black energy directly hit the blue haired arrancar and sent him flying through the air. He recovered quickly and sent a cero flying at Ichigo, who managed to block it with his sword.

"You're running out of time, Ichigo," Sayomi mumbled impatiently as Grimmjow threw himself at Ichigo.

Sayomi growled when seconds later Ichigo's mask began to break apart just as his and Grimmjow's swords connected with a screech and shower of bright sparks. She saw Grimmjow smirk at the surprised look on Ichigo's face before pushing Ichigo's sword away and slicing his shoulder open causing the injured Ichigo to begin falling towards the earth.

"Dammit," she cursed as Ichigo collided with the asphalt below them and began trying to reform his mask. Grimmjow wasn't going to have any of it though and swiftly kicked him in the gut, sending flying into the wall of the building Sayomi now stood upon, a trail of dirt and smoke in his path.

'_There's a soul reaper_-'

'I know, Fuyu,' Sayomi snapped, things weren't going as planned and she wasn't pleased. She couldn't risk being seen by a soul reaper, especially Rukia Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister.

Growling in annoyance, she fled the rooftop and jumped back into the shadowy alleyway before running in the opposite direction in an attempt to put some more space between her and the approaching girl. She knew she was going to help Ichigo and there was likely nothing to worry about, but it was better safe than sorry.

She halted abruptly and spun around, running back towards the fight with a string of curses falling from her lips. The reiatsu of Byakuya's sister had dropped drastically and then Shinji's showed up a few seconds later.

"Stupid twit," she mumbled as she ran through the alley, jumping back on to the rooftops and back in to the bright sun in enough time to see Shinji in his Vizard form shooting a large red cero towards Grimmjow. She had to shield her eyes from the bright glow, but her eyes were rooted to the spot the arrancar had been only moments before. He was still alive, she could sense it, she could also sense another reiatsu making its way into the world of the living as well. "What am I supposed to do now?" She grumbled as she furrowed her brows at the scene in front of her.

"Nothing," a cold voice said from behind her.

Her eyes widened, she had sensed him, she had felt him coming into the world of the living, but how he had gotten behind her without her noticing was something she didn't understand. She felt a cold hand at her throat and something warm sliding down her neck and in to her shirt. Raising a hand to her throat, she was stunned when she saw the red smear of fresh blood on her fingertips.

'This isn't how this was supposed to go,' she thought as she turned and tried to lift her hand to call out Fuyukaze. She ended up yelling out in surprise and pain when a pale hand was thrust through her right shoulder. Not even a second later, she was flying through the air after a palm had connected with her stomach, she grunted but managed to skid to a stop not far in front of Grimmjow. Who upon seeing her growled and looked over to Ulquiorra who was observing him with cold detachment.

"Sayomi," Ichigo yelled as she clutched at her shoulder that was pouring blood all over her and dripping to the ground below her.

"You're in the way again, woman," Grimmjow growled as he glared in Shinji's direction.

"Have you forgotten what you came here to do, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked as Sayomi fell onto her knees in the sky and coughed up a stream of blood.

"I'm busy," the blue haired man growled as he raised his sword in preparation to release it.

Ulquiorra was behind him before he could even form the words to do so, his hand wrapped around the hilt of Grimmjow's sword. "Get the woman," he ordered.

Grimmjow hissed, but sheathed his zanpakuto and grabbed Sayomi's right arm, jerking her upwards harshly. She let out a pained cry and clenched her teeth together to drown out the pain.

"We're done here," Ulquiorra said coldly as he ripped a hole into the sky and walked into it, Grimmjow behind him tugging on Sayomi.

"Sayomi," she heard Shinji yell, she looked back to see him flying towards them. The portal closed before he could get within a few feet of it.

Blinking her eyes to keep them focused, Sayomi hissed at the pain in her shoulder when Grimmjow continued trying to pull her. "I can walk," she said bitterly before raising her right leg and kicking him in the side.

"Bitch," he snapped as he was pushed away from her, he attempted to attack her but was stopped by Ulquiorra's outstretched arm.

"Enough," he stated.

"Did you really have to go so far as to punching a hole in my shoulder?" Sayomi snapped.

The emotionless man didn't respond just shoved his hands in his pockets. Sayomi and Grimmjow both growled at the man as he walked coolly away from them. Her because of his response, him because he didn't know that she had been in on her own kidnapping.

"You didn't fucking say she knew," Grimmjow shouted.

"It wasn't any of your concern. Your orders were to retrieve her with as little damage to her as possible."

"So he isn't supposed to hurt me, but you can?" Sayomi snapped.

"Yes."

"Is he always like this?" Sayomi asked Grimmjow.

Grimmjow grunted in reply.

"Articulate aren't you," Sayomi taunted before coughing up some more blood.

"Weak aren't you," Grimmjow taunted back.

"Don't underestimate me, you blue haired freak. I'll rip you to shreds," Sayomi growled.

"You don't scare me, woman."

"Would you two stop your bickering, we're almost there," Ulquiorra cut in as emotionless and bland as usual.

"I'm going to kill that bastard," Sayomi and Grimmjow growled at the same time before exchanging quick glares.

A small bright white light could be seen not far in front of them, it was getting larger with every step they took until the three stepped into a long white hallway. Ulquiorra started down the path to the right and both her and Grimmjow followed without question. When he stopped in front of a door that blended into the wall Sayomi nearly ran into his back, she managed to stop herself in time but cursed under her breath, earning her a cold look from Ulquiorra and a snicker from Grimmjow.

"We just might get along," Grimmjow said with a grin.

"Maybe, we already hate the same person," she replied with a sweet smile as she looked at Ulquiorra.

"This is your room, stay here until I retrieve you later. If you leave I'm not responsible for your safety," Ulquiorra said as he pushed the white stone door open to reveal a large room with white walls.

"You guys sure like white don't you," she said as she stepped into the room, the door shutting with a small grinding noise behind her.

Looking around she noted that the room was indeed quite large, there was a black couch and two black chairs around a black table in the center of the room a few yards from the door. Beyond that was a doorway that lead into another chamber, walking into that she noticed it was a bedroom and there was a bathroom off to the right. The bed was positioned under the large rectangular window in the back of the room, the sheets were the only thing in the room that weren't black or white. Instead they were a deep blue like the night sky. On either side of the bed were small white tables, and there was also a black changing screen set up in the right corner by the bathroom door with a small closet behind it.

"Welcome home," she mumbled as she made her way into her bathroom to clean and attempt to heal her wound.

"Hm," she mused when she heard a soft knock on the door before it creaked open.

"Himura-sama," a quiet female voice called. "Aizen-sama asked that I heal your wounds for you."

"Enter," she called in reply as she met the girl at the entrance to her bedroom. The girl had short, choppy brown hair and the same color eyes set into her pale face. She was taller than Sayomi, which wasn't a surprise, but only by a few inches. She was thin and wore a blue over coat instead of the white she had seen on all other arrancar so far.

"It may be best to clean it in the bathroom so as to avoid getting blood on anything else," the small girl said as she rose from her bow.

Sayomi nodded and led the way into her bathroom. She sat on the small stool that was pushed under a vanity in the outer room where her sinks were as the girl proceeded to clean and heal the wound on her arm and the small cut to her throat. Her stomach was sore and bruised, but there wasn't much to be done about that.

"I can bandage it myself," Sayomi said as the girl tried to bandage her shoulder.

The girl tried to protest, but Sayomi stood from the stool and took the roll of bandages from her hands. "Thank you for your help." She said before turning away and heading through the door on the left. It led to a large white bathtub and a separate shower stall that was walled in with sheets of glass.

Turning the hot water on, she let the tub fill with water before discarding her bloody clothes and climbing into the steamy pool.

* * *

"Hey woman! Get up! Aizen-sama wants to see you," Grimmjow yelled as he opened Sayomi's door and stepped inside without bothering to knock. He breezed threw her living area and straight into her bed chamber where she was lying on the bed.

She lifted her head from the bed and gazed at him through her icy blue eyes. "You should knock next time, or I might mistake you for cat food."

"Hn. You couldn't beat me if you tried," he replied pridefully.

"I'll take that as a challenge and say that I accept," she said as she stood up from the blue covered bed and walked through her room past Grimmjow before stopping before the door leading to the hallway. She looked back at him to see he was staring at her, his eyes roaming her body hungrily.

She was wearing a high necked halter top, the entire back was gone, but there were strips of white and black lace twisted together spaced across her back to keep it from revealing anything that shouldn't be. The shirt fell to her waist leaving a small gap between it and what looked to be a short pleated skirt, but was in fact just hakama that had been cut to be much shorter, they were secured with a black lace obi. She wore black tabi(socks) that rose over her knees and a pair of white sandals. Her bracelet was on her right wrist as always, and her hair was left down and helped to hide the red skin that she hadn't bothered to bandage. Wounds were an everyday thing for a soul reaper, it didn't matter to her if anyone saw them. "Also if you continue to stare at me like I'm your next meal..I'll kill you," she said icily, her hair whipping around her shoulders as a frigid wind stirred the air around her. Without another word she turned from Grimmjow and walked into the hall.

"Lost," Grimmjow asked through his grin as he stepped out of the room and stood behind Sayomi.

Sayomi barely came to his chest so when she turned to glare at him she grunted at the fact she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye.

"How's the weather down there," he asked.

"Actually I just forgot something," she said before stepping around him and back into the room. She reappeared a moment later looking the same as she had except a little taller. She was now wearing black heeled boots that stopped just below her knees and laced in the back with white ribbon. "Now I'm ready."

Grimmjow chuckled at her before leading the way down the hall.

"We've been walking for fifteen minutes," Sayomi stated.

"And?" Grimmjow grunted.

"Everything looks the same."

"You get used to it. We're almost there, come on, I'll get us there real quick."

Before she had a chance to voice her objections, Grimmjow grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close to his body, and sped off down the hall. She could hear a strange static like sound as they ran and she found it to be rather annoying. Flash stepping was much better in her opinion than the sonido of the arrancar.

Sayomi growled to show her displeasure with the fact that Grimmjow seemed to be enjoying the closeness of their bodies. "Put me down, unless you'd like to lose your other arm," she spat.

"Your temper is bigger than you are, you sure you can see it from down there?"

Grimmjow grunted as Sayomi forced his arm over her head before flipping him on to his back on the white floor. She stomped her heeled foot down onto the bandaged wound on his chest, smirking at the hiss she elicited from him.

"Anything else you'd like to say?" Sayomi asked.

"Yeah, I like it when the woman's on top."

Sayomi's smirk disappeared and so did Grimmjow's, the way she was staring at him was unsettling and he shifted under her foot, he was ordered not to hurt her and he was going to follow orders, for once, besides he was beginning to think she could kick his ass if she wanted to. Lifting her foot from his chest, she turned her back to him and began walking down the hall where she could hear raised voices from behind a set of large double doors. Half way to them she paused and looked back at Grimmjow who had stood and was walking a few paces behind her, he looked at her with a hint of uncertainty.

"I prefer the man on top," she said before turning away from a rather stunned Grimmjow and walking up to the double doors that swung open on their own as she approached.

"I'm sure we could arrange that," Grimmjow whispered in her ear as they walked into a large throne room.

Sayomi snorted. 'He may be pretty cute, but he's got one hell of an ego,' she thought as her eyes rose to find Aizen sitting in a white throne on the top of a high platform.

There were two columns of round pillars down the center of the long room, on either side of the pillars were what looked like balconies without railings. There were several arrancar scattered around these balconies, their eyes on her as she made her way to the platform in the center of the room.

"Ah, Sayomi, what a pleasure to see you again,"Aizen greeted with a small smile she figured was meant to be charming.

"It has been awhile hasn't it, since you tried to kill me for what you changed me into?" Sayomi replied, a small jovial smile on her face.

"It was a simple misunderstanding, you were trying to kill one of my subordinates," Aizen said smoothly.

"The woman was a soul reaper," Grimmjow snorted angrily.

"Was, yes. Not any longer though, right Aizen, sorry Aizen-sama," Sayomi said adding a little extra emphasis to the sama.

"That is correct. Sayomi here was once a captain level soul reaper, possibly even stronger than most captains, but she happened to accidentally come into contact with a substance I had created. After that, she was changed into something else. A Vizard, basically she is the opposite to all the arrancar here. She is a soul reaper with the powers of a hollow," Aizen explained calmly, smiling the whole time.

Sayomi kept her gaze focused on the man until she heard the doors behind her open once again. Turning around, she saw Ulquiorra leading in a rather withdrawn looking Orihime.

"Hello, Orihime Inoue," Aizen greeted warmly as the young girl was brought before him, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and had not yet noticed Sayomi. "I'm sorry to ask this so soon, but I'd like for you to demonstrate your abilities for us."

Sayomi growled and stepped between Orihime and the platform Aizen sat upon when the man increased his spiritual pressure to the point that Orihime began to wobble on her feet. "No need to be so demanding, Aizen-sama, I'm sure Orihime wouldn't have a problem showing you her ability if you just asked nicely. Isn't that right, Orihime," she asked silkily as she turned to face the girl.

"S-Say-Sayomi," Orihime stuttered out as her innocent eyes widened.

Sayomi smiled, "Hello Orihime, I'm sorry but I must insist you do as Aizen-sama asks, we don't want you getting hurt, now do we," she said.

Orihime swallowed and shook her head. "What would you like me to do," she asked in a quiet whisper.

"I would like you to heal Grimmjow's left arm, and Sayomi's shoulder, it's unsightly," Aizen replied as he waved a hand at Sayomi and Grimmjow.

Orihime nodded submissively before raising her hands to Sayomi's shoulder. "Souten Kishun, I reject," she said in a soft voice. A pale yellow light wrapped itself around Sayomi's shoulder, immediately the large scar began to disappear. After only a few seconds there was no sign that Sayomi had been hurt at all and there was no longer any stiffness in her joint or the muscle.

"Thank you, Orihime," Sayomi said politely.

"You're welcome, Sayomi," Orihime replied with a forced smile.

"It would seem that there are those that are not pleased with the arrival of our guests," Aizen stated as his eyes came to rest on a feminine man that stood several yards behind Orihime. "Isn't that right, Luppi?"

"To say our whole battle was just to bring those women here...I can't accept that, and what are they good for? Some weird soul reaper and a girl who can heal, big deal," the thin dark haired man said.

"Would you mind healing Grimmjow's arm, Orihime, it seems that you're being underestimated," Sayomi said, though she sounded pleasant there was an undertone in her voice that made Orihime shiver as she walked up to Grimmjow.

The same golden shield formed where his left arm should have been and slowly his arm began to materialize within the golden barrier until it was once again whole and without a single scratch.

Luppi was yelling and complaining in the background that what Aizen was asking for couldn't be done and insulting Orihime. Sayomi was growing tired of the constant ranting and disappeared from her spot, she reappeared in front of Luppi who looked at her with wide eyes.

"You talk too much, you should learn to keep your mouth shut in the company of those who are above you," she said coldly.

"Chi..You, a soul reaper, better than me. You're just-"

He was cut off when Sayomi ducked down slightly and raised her left leg to kick him in the jaw, the man flew into the air and landed a few yards away, glaring at her as he wiped blood from his mouth. "You'll pay for that," he growled.

Sayomi chuckled coldly. "I doubt it."

"Enough Luppi," Aizen called, the annoyance clear in his crisp voice. "I'm afraid that if you harm Sayomi, I will have to reprimand you. Now about Orihime's powers, if you still don't understand, let me explain it to you. The power this girl possesses is perfect event rejection. Her ability allows her to choose a target and then she can limit, reject, and deny what was done to it. No matter the event that occurred, she can reject it. What she can do violates the realm of God," he finished.

"Heal this too chick," Grimmjow said as he pointed to a burn on his back. As the skin repaired itself a tattoo of the number six appeared, the same number that was on Luppi's hip.

"What are you trying to pull, Grimmjow," Luppi sneered.

Grimmjow grinned evilly before walking forward and thrusting his hand through Luppi's chest. Sayomi made a disgusted noise and stepped out of the way of the spray of blood that was raining down upon the white floor.

"You bastard," Luppi choked as blood dripped from his mouth and he glared at Grimmjow, whose grin only grew.

"Later, number six," Grimmjow said before blasting Luppi apart with a cero.

Sayomi watched with disinterest as Grimmjow threw his head back and laughed while shouting out that he was number six.

"Are all of your new subordinates so...passionate," Sayomi asked mockingly as she turned to face Aizen once again.

"Not all of them. Speaking of which there was someone who wanted to see you. Gin," Aizen called.

"Ya called," a low, sing song voice called in reply not a moment later.

"Our guests have arrived, say hello."

Sayomi's eyes moved to the new person on the platform. He was tall and thin, his frame was similar to hers, only she was much shorter and probably only came to the man's elbows. He wore a fox like grin on his face and his eyes were narrowed to the point they looked closed and it made it hard to determine the color. Sayomi knew their color though, they were a pale blue. Just like hers.

"Hello big brother," Sayomi said.

* * *

Please review!


	16. Chapter 16 A Bet

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 16**

**A Bet**

"Hey there lil sis, how ya been? She's even prettier than I remember her bein'." Gin said as he turned his grin to Aizen.

"She hasn't gotten much taller though," Aizen replied with a smile.

Sayomi grunted and turned her head away, her neck was beginning to get sore from staring up at the men on the high platform.

"What's she doin' here anyways," Gin asked as if he were confused by her presence.

"She wanted to visit. Her reasons are unknown to me at the moment though. Would you like to enlighten us, Sayomi," Aizen called.

"Of course. Although I would think it would be obvious. I want revenge," she said bluntly.

"Against whom?" Aizen asked curiously, a smirk forming on his lips as he rested his cheek against his fist.

Sayomi smirked. "Soul Society of course."

"Is that so? I always thought you loved Soul Society," Aizen replied.

"Loved yes, but I no longer have the same sentiments. I was ordered to die because I was made stronger, but all they saw was the hollow in me, not the Soul Reaper. I want them to see what they threw away, the power they could have had on their side if they had only been more open minded. They took everything away from me, and I want to do the same," she explained.

"I see, so you wish to join us then?" Aizen asked, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes," she answered as she looked right into his cold eyes. Her voice sounded dead, there was no emotion there, but in her eyes was coldness and hatred that could rival Aizen's.

"What do you think, Gin, Kaname?" Aizen asked.

Sayomi hadn't noticed Tousen who was standing quietly to Aizen's right.

"As long as she doesn't try killin' me again," Gin replied.

"Could you blame me?" Sayomi countered. "You were traitors in my eyes at the time. It wasn't until later I realized how powerful we had all become and who the traitors really were, it wasn't you." She spoke calmly even though on the inside she wanted nothing more than to rip the smile right off of Gin's face.

"'Spose not," he conceded.

"Do you have any objections, Kaname," Aizen asked smoothly.

"None. I remember her disliking fighting as much as I do, but her power may be helpful," the man replied.

"So it's settled then. Welcome to your new home, Sayomi. You as well, Orihime," Aizen said. "These two are to be treated respectfully, anything less and you will be severely punished, understood?" Without waiting for any form of response since his word was meant to be like a law he continued on. "Ulquiorra, please show Ms Inoue to her room and make sure she's comfortable. Sayomi will remain here with us, the rest of you are dismissed."

Sayomi remained where she was standing as the large room emptied, her gaze focused on the three men above her.

"Gin, Kaname you may go as well," Aizen said as he stared down at Sayomi.

Gin's smile fell slightly as he turned to look at Aizen questioningly. Kaname bowed and left without another word as Gin stayed where he was until Aizen cast a look in his direction.

"Well, Sayomi I'll be seein' ya later. I'll give ya a tour," Gin said before turning and leaving as well.

"Would you like to join me on the balcony, the view is rather nice," Aizen asked as he stood from his throne and made his way behind it to somewhere Sayomi couldn't see.

Flashing her way to the top of the platform, she followed the former captain through a doorway that led to a large balcony that over looked a desert of white sand that was bathed in moonlight. She kept her hands at her sides as she stopped a few feet away from Aizen and looked over the barren landscape.

"I hear the ryoka boy has been taught how to release his inner hollow and has gotten much stronger."

"He has," Sayomi confirmed.

"How much stronger?"

"Not enough. No need to worry, if it comes to it I can handle him easily."

"I thought he was a friend to you."

"I have no friends," Sayomi replied, and she felt it was the truth.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that," Aizen said as he leaned against the railing behind him and gazed at Sayomi.

"Why? The ones that didn't betray me, were betrayed by me. They have yet to be replaced is all."

"Do I not count as a friend?"

Inwardly Sayomi shivered, outwardly she remained unshaken and cold. "Do you wish to be considered friends with your subordinate, for that is what I am, correct?"

"Incorrect. Yourself, Gin, and Kaname, are all very important to me. You will help make my dreams come to fruition. Isn't that something a friend would do for another friend?"

"It is."

"Then we're friends, are we not?"

"It would seem so," Sayomi replied with a coy smile.

"You're even more beautiful then I remember, and that's quite amazing," Aizen said as he stepped forward and placed a palm on Sayomi's cheek.

Sayomi's smile faltered before disappearing altogether. She didn't know what to do, she had no idea how to react. A part of her wanted to push him away and threaten him, but another part knew that wouldn't be wise. His hand was cold and it made her want to wretch, this man was dangerous and could kill her in a second. She had never before felt so small and weak.

"Gin, stopping spying," Aizen said as he removed his hand from Sayomi's cheek and looked over at Gin who was walking out of the same doorway they had come through minutes before.

"Ah, ya caught me. I was just checkin' that you were behavin' yourself with my little Sayomi," the grinning man said as he patted Sayomi's head.

"Of course. I have things to attend to, show her around and make sure she's comfortable."

"I don't remember him being so scary," Sayomi said after Aizen had disappeared from view.

"You don't know him well," Gin replied. "Now come along."

* * *

Sayomi stared up at her white ceiling, lost in thought. She was thinking back to her last night with Kensei and wondering if he realized that she had admitted that she was going to betray him. She had apologized for him feeling that she was going to betray him before adding that she was. Depending on how you looked at it it was an admission of guilt or a heart felt apology for making him feel the way he did. In this case it was an admission.

She wondered if everyone thought she was really taken, or if any of them suspected her of having had a part in it all. Kensei, she figured, would be the first to think she had had a hand in her own kidnapping, she hoped that he would anyways so that he would grow to hate her instead of coming to retrieve her. Knowing Kensei, hate was the most likely outcome, he had already said he wouldn't forgive her if she betrayed them and she had done just that, whether they realized that yet was unknown to her.

She sighed and closed her eyes, pushing all thoughts of her former lover and friends out of her mind. They were no longer a part of her life or the path she had chosen and it would be so much easier to just forget about them. So forget is what she tried to do, she had decided to betray them and she wouldn't regret it now, not when she was getting so close to achieving her goal.

She was going to have to move carefully to avoid suspicion, and she was going to have to do whatever was necessary in order to gain everyone's full trust. That was another reason she wanted to forget Kensei and the others, but mainly Kensei. She didn't know just how far she would have to go to gain the trust of the people here, she knew that if she was careful she could befriend Grimmjow. He was a lot like her, temperamental and confrontational. They would get along fine, there was also the attraction she felt for him. Not since she and Kensei had become involved had she been attracted to anyone but him and the feeling made her a little guilty. But telling herself that it was over between her and Kensei and that he was likely to kill her the next time they met helped to lessen the guilt she felt as she shoved all memories of him to the back of her mind.

The way things were set up she had about two months before Aizen would attempt to take Soul Society and destroy Karakura town in order to make the King's Key. She also knew that Orihime's kidnapping wasn't necessary to awaken the Hogyoku which is what everyone would believe. She had come to this conclusion not long after her visit from Ulquiorra almost two weeks before.

If Aizen had wanted Orihime he could have taken her at any moment. So why would he wait? The only thing she could figure was to divide the already thin ranks of the Gotei 13. Even though Orihime's kidnapping was set up to look like she had left by her own choice she knew Ichigo and the others wouldn't believe that and would want to rescue her. The head captain would of course refuse for obvious reasons, they would need all of their strength to be ready to fight if Aizen decided to attack yet again. She also knew that Ichigo wouldn't give a damn and would go to Urahara for a way into Hueco Muendo. It was likely that there would be others accompanying him, and if so, there was even a possibility of high ranking soul reapers coming to retrieve them. Which is why she had taken a few precautions.

She had told Urahara of her theories and the man had agreed to keep Ichigo out of Hueco Muendo for as long as he could. Just to make sure the man stuck to his words, Sayomi had destroyed the area that had been set up in his underground training area to support a Garaganta when he chose to open one. He hadn't been too pleased with that...

She needed time to think and devise a plan. If they invaded Hueco Muendo now her time would be cut short and she would be rushed to accomplish what she came there to do. Rushing was never good, it made one sloppy and often left weak spots in the hastily made plans.

'Any ideas, Fuyukaze?' She thought to the beautiful white haired man she could see in her mind as he nonchalantly sat on a cloud above the same mountain range she always visited him in.

'_You need someone who knows more about Hueco Muendo then you, and someone who would be willing to help you learn the secrets that are hidden here. Or someone who already knows them_,' he replied.

'Not a bad idea, but who? Everyone here is loyal to Aizen.'

'_I doubt that. If you look I'm sure you'll find several people who are unhappy being ruled by Shinigami_.'

'True. I could use that to my advantage in quite a few ways,' she thought as she mulled over potential options in her mind.

'_It would be best to have someone you trust here, right now you have nothing that would ensure you live through this_.'

'Who said I planned on living?'

'_Sayomi-sama don't talk like that, besides you're too stubborn to die_,' Fuyukaze said with a snort.

Before Sayomi could snap out a reply the door to her bedroom was thrown carelessly open and the blue haired Grimmjow strolled casually into her room, his hands in his pockets and a wicked grin on his face.

"Didn't I tell you to knock?" Sayomi asked coldly.

Grimmjow chuckled at her as he leaned against the door frame to her bedroom, his cropped jacket revealing most of his well defined abdomen and chest. "Like I'm gonna listen. I don't give a damn if you're that freaky face's sister, you're still just a woman."

"Do you have death wish?"

"No, but you challenged me, so get off your ass and fight me. Or are you too weak?" Grimmjow taunted.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed as she glared at the blue haired arrancar. "Weak? Me? I think you have us confused little kitten, you couldn't touch me if you tried."

"Wanna make it a bet then?"

"Sure why not, it's not like I plan on losing to an egotistical bastard like you," she snapped.

"You may not plan on it, but you will. Now get moving, I'm in the mood to hit something," Grimmjow said as he turned to walk out of the room.

Sayomi growled, but pushed herself up from the bed and walked after him, her heels clicking on the polished stone floor as they walked.

"And just where are you two goin' all alone?"

Sayomi forced down a disgusted grunt, but the annoyed frown that passed over her face and the glint of hate in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Grimmjow who had turned before she had to face the grinning man behind them.

"It seems Grimmy here doesn't think a woman can beat him in a fight. I was going to prove him wrong," Sayomi said with as she flashed Grimmjow a devious smile as she turned around.

"Who the hell you callin' Grimmy, what's with that shit," Grimmjow snapped at her angrily.

"What? I think it's cute," Sayomi replied as she innocently smiled at an annoyed Grimmjow.

"Cute? Who the hell wants to be 'cute'," he muttered.

"Apparently not you," Sayomi shot back.

Grimmjow snarled at her through his bared teeth, Sayomi just flashed another smile.

"You two seem to be gettin' along well, I'll leave ya to yur fighting," Gin said as he turned and began walking down the hall, waving a hand at them. "And don' kill 'im, Sayomi, we need him."

"I'll try, but no promises," she answered.

"As if you can even scratch me," Grimmjow muttered. "Now hurry up girly, I'm pissed off and you'd better put up a good fight."

"Same goes for you, Grimmy," Sayomi replied in a sing song voice, smirking at the string of angry curses she received from the blue haired man.

Grimmjow led her to a large, open rectangular room, of course everything here was white as well. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, everything.

After a few steps into the plain room, Sayomi was forced to dodge a blow from Grimmjow's sword, she bent backwards as the sword whistled its way past her face.

"You know, it's nice to give your opponent a chance to draw their own sword before attacking," Sayomi scolded boredly. "Not that I mind, you can't beat me."

"You don't have a sword dumb shit, how the hell do you plan on attacking me? Ya gonna turn into to a little kitten and claw my face off?"

"You're right I don't have a sword at the moment, how silly of me," she said as she jumped over the next attack and landed back to back with Grimmjow who swung around again.

"What the hell," he shouted when his sword was stopped from slicing her side open by a shiny silver, mirror like sword with dark blue and silver ribbons adorning its hilt.

"Don't look so surprised, Kitten. It doesn't suit you," Sayomi remarked dryly as she pushed him away from her effortlessly.

"Where the hell'd that come from?"

"Notice anything missing," she asked blandly as she held her right arm out before her.

"The bracelet," Grimmjow grunted.

"Right. My sealed zanpakuto is in the form of my bracelet. Hence the reason I never take it off."

"Stupid bitch," he growled quietly.

"Name calling is bad little one. Now, how about we teach you that women are stronger than men," Sayomi said with a smirk as she bent her knees slightly and held her zanpakuto out before her, its blade parallel to the floor.

"This should be fun," he replied before leaping into the air.

"Too easy," Sayomi said boredly as she raised her right arm in an arc and blocked Grimmjow's hit with fluid grace.

He landed on the ground a few feet in front of her, he swung at her again. She did a quick hands free back flip, smirking at the annoyed glare she got from Grimmjow as she countered his next attack by leaping over her him.

"Would you fight dammit?!"

"Oh, sorry I was just giving you a chance to give up, but-"

"Like hell I'm giving up," he yelled as he slashed at her again, trying to slice her chest open.

She ducked again, spinning on the heels of her boots and knocking Grimmjow's legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a loud grunt as the air was knocked from his lungs. Sayomi put her booted foot on his chest and dug the thin heel into his gut.

"Wanna give up while you still can," she asked.

"You wish," Grimmjow retorted, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down on top of him.

She hissed through her teeth as her knee collided with the cold stone floor and brought her zanpakuto up to his throat, pressing the blunt edge with her left hand.

"I forgot you like the man on top," he said before knocking her arm up and using his right leg to push her to the ground, flipping himself on top of her.

"Bastard, get off of me," she hissed.

"I thought you liked it this way," Grimmjow teased as he leaned towards her.

"Fine, you won't move. I'll move you," she said.

A chill wind stirred in all corners of the room before circling Grimmjow. It looked like he was being engulfed in tiny white snowflakes. Their breath became visible in small puffs as they exhaled.

"Bye," Sayomi remarked before Grimmjow went flying off of her and into the wall at least thirty yards behind him, it was like he had been kicked in the gut by a strong force.

She sighed when he charged at her after regaining his fighting stance, she blocked and dodged and attacked.

"Thanks for the workout, it's been awhile since I've fought someone as strong as you whose weaknesses I didn't know. However, I'm growing bored, so I'll be ending this now," Sayomi told Grimmjow as they locked swords once again.

"We're not done ye-"

Before he could finish his come back, Sayomi kicked him in the chest, pushing him away from her. She then lunged as she swung Fuyukaze out in front of her. A flurry of swirling, writhing wind flew at Grimmjow. He growled as he tried to dodge only to realize it was impossible to predict how the wind moved. The biting wind slashed at him continuously, leaving bleeding gashes all over his body, he grunted as he was pushed back by the sheer force of the wind. Dropping his sword when his fingers went numb, he crossed his arms in front of himself to block as much of the cutting winds as he could. With another grunt he was knocked off his feet and thrown into the wall behind him, there was a loud crash as the wall broke apart around his body.

Sayomi walked forward as the wind dissipated, none of the remaining swirls did any damage to her as she stepped through them. She brought her sword to Grimmjow's throat as he tried to free himself from the rubble of the broken wall. A growl rumbled from deep in his throat as his jaw clenched and he turned his infuriated blue eyes up to hers.

"You lose," she stated. There was no pride or happiness in her voice, it was cold and distant.

"For now," he grunted in reply.

"I do believe we had a bet, we never discussed what the terms were though," Sayomi said as she held her arm out to her side letting her zanpakuto return to its place on her wrist as she crouched down in front of him.

"What the hell do you want," Grimmjow asked bitterly as he wiped at the blood that was dripping down his face.

Sayomi eyed him for a second before leaning in so that she was inches from his ear and answering evenly. "Help killing my brother."

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he snapped his head around to look at her, his hand pausing as he wiped away a trail of blood from his lips. "What did you-"

"You heard me correctly. I want help killing the man that was partially responsible for ruining my life and taking away almost everything I cared about," she replied as she stood back and dusted herself off.

"You're here to kill the fox faced ass?"

"Yes. Now will you help me or not?"

"I had a feeling you were up to something when you looked like you wanted to rip his guts out in the hall. What do I get out of the deal?"

"We made a bet, you lost. You don't-"

"Like hell I don't get anything. You want me to help you kill your freaky brother, that's a bit much for winning a little fight," Grimmjow cut in harshly.

"And what is it you want?"

"What do you think?"

"And what makes you think I'll agree to that?"

"I've never met a woman I couldn't get, what makes you think you're different," Grimmjow asked as he stood up and walked up to her.

She narrowed her eyes up at him. "The fact that I'm not some piece of trash who's easily swayed by a handsome face and offers of a night of great sex."

"So you know it would be great, huh?"

"Doubtfully, and you'll never get the chance to prove me wrong."

"That's what you think. I don't mind the chase, the benefits of it are usually very entertaining," he said with a smirk as he walked passed her.

"You're one hell of an arrogant asshole."

"I thought name calling was bad?"

"Only when it's directed at me," Sayomi replied stubbornly.

"Who's arrogant now?"

"Oh, shut up Grimmy Kitty."

"What the fuck?! Would you stop with the names before I rip your head off."

"But it's cute."

"It's annoying."

"Or is it deflating your gigantic ego?"

"You haven't seen my ego yet," he replied.

"Pervert," she grumbled.

He didn't reply, just shoved his scratched and bleeding hands into his pockets as he continued to walk down the hall.

"My room would be in the other direction, so where are we going?" Sayomi asked.

"To my rooms. I need some new clothes since you ruined mine."

"How big is this place anyways?"

"It would take three days to walk from one end to other."

"Where are Gin's-"

She grunted in surprise when Grimmjow suddenly shoved her into the wall, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. He leaned down so close to her ear that his breath was tickling her neck.

"Unless you want to be found out, shut the hell up, even the walls are dangerous," he growled before releasing her and backing away.

She blinked after him, a little irritated by the way her heart had skipped a beat at his sudden proximity. "Bastard," she hissed under her breath.

* * *

As she lay in bed that night she thought over her options and what she had come here to do. In no way did she regret what she was doing. It was something that she felt must be done, not just for herself and her desire for revenge, but it would help in the war against Aizen. She wanted to think so anyways to make herself feel a little better. She may be cold and she could tell herself again and again that Gin deserved death, but a part of her remembered them as children. They had truly cared about each other, they took care of each other and when they had found Matsumoto she had been a little jealous, thinking it would take his attention away from her. She had been wrong of course, but as a small child who could have blamed her for thinking that way. When they had gotten separated while trying to steal some bread and water, she had been so scared she would never find him again. It would be years before she did, but eventually they were reunited when he became a Soul Reaper a few years after her.

She had been overjoyed to find him again, and they had become close once again. He was happy that she had found a family, even though she felt badly that they hadn't been able to ever find him. Her family had been happy for her, Byakuya even seemed to be glad she found joy in reuniting with her brother, although he always seemed to be more guarded when Gin was around. Sayomi had never understood this, but chalked it up to Byakuya being protective and maybe the slightest bit jealous.

Over the years though, he began to change. He seemed to become something darker than she remembered him being capable of, his whole aura took on a strange feel. It was as if he had become a predator when he used to once be a protector, the change was a little unnerving for her. They began to drift apart and Sayomi rarely saw him or spoke with him. They hadn't spoken in almost five months when they met again, for the last time until now.

She remembered that night, that entire day, clearly, it was forever etched into her mind like some twisted memorial of her past life. Every feeling, every sound, every breath, every cut she received she remembered vividly. In the end she and the others had gained enormous strength and many advantages when it came to fighting, but they lost everything else.

* * *

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17 Shattered Dreams

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Shattered Dreams**

"Captain Himura you've been here all day, why don't you go get some rest, I'll finish up here," a tall busty women with strawberry blond hair offered.

"It's alright Matsumoto, I'm fine. The wedding plans hit yet another snag, and Byakuya's stupid family elders are trying to convince him to take another bride even though we're already contracted to one another. I may have the Himura name and fortune, but I'm not a Himura, something the elders like throwing in my face as frequently as they can. And another thing, where the hell is Jin, the woman is supposed to be my lieutenant but I swear she spends more time drinking than doing paperwork," Sayomi replied as she signed her name to yet another paper and rolled it up before placing it into a stack of outgoing mail.

"Speaking of drinking," Matsumoto said. "Look what I found," she chirped as she pulled out a bottle of sake from behind the lieutenant's desk.

"What about it," Sayomi asked.

"You need to relax captain, take a break and have a drink with me. We'll have some well deserved girl time," Matsumoto replied.

Sayomi opened her mouth to decline, but shut it and shrugged. "I suppose we'd be helping Jin, the girl really does need to cut back. Let's go to my rooms though, I don't feel like being here anymore."

Matsumoto squealed with delight and followed after Sayomi.

"Oh and I have something for you, a little gift for helping me so much. I also don't mind if you flaunt it," Sayomi said as she slid open the door to her rooms and slid of her sandals. "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back."

When Sayomi walked out of her bedroom a few minutes later Matsumoto was sitting on her couch, pouring the sake into cups on her wooden table.

"Here," Sayomi said as she handed the woman a small package.

"It's beautiful," the woman said as she pulled a pink scarf out of the wrapping and placed it around her shoulders. "How does it look?"

"The color's good for you. Now give me some sake," Sayomi said as she sat herself down next to Matsumoto and took the cup that was being held out to her. They held their cups up in a small cheers before downing the liquid. Sayomi coughed a little as the liquid burned its way down her throat.

"Another," Matsumoto asked, a hint of red on her cheeks as she spoke.

"What the hell," Sayomi said as she held her glass out for more.

"You know captain, you need to relax more often," Matsumoto said after downing her second cup.

"Call me Sayomi, the captain thing is too weird, we've known each other since we were kids after all," Sayomi replied after swallowing her own cup.

"Sayomi then, you need to relax more. You're always so tense and worried."

"I can't help it, there's just so much going on. We have a date for the wedding, finally, but now the elders are-"

"Shh! No speaking about problems, it's supposed to be a fun night. Here have more sake," Matsumoto said as she poured more sake into Sayomi's cup.

After about an hour both women were thoroughly intoxicated. They were laughing and talking loudly, reminiscing about their youth or sharing embarrassing stories.

There was a knock on Sayomi's door and the Sayomi and Matsumoto both looked at the door and blinked. There was another knock, more forceful and agitated.

"Uh oh," Sayomi said as she stood up, holding her hands out to steady herself when she wobbled. "Be right back."

She swung open the door to come face to face, well face to chest, with Byakuya, his face impassive as usual but his brow was tweaked slightly as he gazed at her unbalanced form.

Sayomi giggled. "Hello," she said as she waved her fingers at him.

"Are you drunk?"

"No," she denied before giggling again when Matsumoto walked up behind her and threw her arms over her shoulders.

"Hello captain Kuchiki," the woman trilled. "You know that Sayomi here needs more time to relax. She's always so stressed out, and worrying about the wedding. Oh, I want to help get you dressed. We'll have so much fun."

"Oh and make up, you have to do that, I can't put that crap on to save my life," Sayomi replied as she turned to the red head.

"I'll come back another time," Byakuya said as he turned and walked away.

Sayomi blinked after after him and wrenched Matsumoto's arms off of her. "Right back," she said as she ran after Byakuya, struggling to not fall over or bump into the many walls. "Wait," she called. "I'm sorry. Matsumoto found Jin's sake and it was such a long day she suggested we take a break. I agreed, I needed a little time out of the office, it's all so overwhelming. Please don't be angry at me, Byakuya."

"You're free to do as you wish, why would I be angry," he asked emotionlessly.

"You're angry," Sayomi stated. "I can tell. We're just having fun."

"Fun? You're a captain now, you're job and responsibilities should come first. You're not taking this seriously, especially with the disappearances in Rukongai."

"How can you say that? I've hardly slept in the last year, I have a lieutenant that's never around, I have to manage my household and plan a wedding, all on my own. I'm doing my best. Besides Kensei and the ninth squad are out investigating the disappearances in Rukongai, I'm sure he'll be able to take care of it."

"If it was going to be too much then you shouldn't have accepted."

"Accepted what? The promotion or the marriage proposal," Sayomi said bitterly. "The promotion I wanted, the marriage was decided for me."

"Do you wish you had fought it?"

"No! I do love you, I have for a very long time, it's you that doesn't seem to return the feelings. You haven't once told you me you love. You have stuck up for me, you have supported me, but not once have you told me how you felt about me."

Byakuya remained quiet as they stared at each other in the dark street outside of the tenth division.

After receiving no response Sayomi shook her head and bit back tears, "Sorry to have kept you from your business, Byakuya-_sama_, sorry that I have embarrassed you tonight with my behavior. It won't happen again," she said before turning away and walking back to her barrack.

"Sayomi," he called before she had gone more than two steps.

She stopped, but didn't turn to face him.

"I'm sorry I haven't said it before, but I love you."

Sayomi smiled and turned to face him. "It took you long enough to admit it."

"I apologize for making you wait," Byakuya replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Apology accepted," she said as she walked back to him and stared up into his eyes.

Byakuya brushed a few strands of her hair from her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I needed to speak with you, your rooms would be more private."

"Of course. Give me a moment and I'll ask Matsumoto to leave," Sayomi said as she turned and walked back to her rooms. Byakuya followed her, a bit slowly, allowing her time to get her third seat out of her rooms. Just as the woman stumbled out of the door, giggling as she raised a bottle of sake into the air and hiccuping, Byakuya was walking to her door. He raised his eyebrows as the woman looked at him and giggled, trying to cover her mouth with her hand in a failed attempt at being modest.

"You two behave yourselves..Or not," she slurred.

"Matsumoto," Sayomi snapped.

The busty woman giggled and stumbled her way towards her own barrack.

"Should I help her?" Sayomi asked as the drunken woman swerved and nearly face planted into one of the gardens.

"I think she'll manage," Byakuya replied.

"I hope so, anyways, come in. I'll make some tea, I could use it," she said as she held a hand to her head. "I didn't have much, but the world is spinning a bit and since I'm so close to it, it's a little weird."

Byakuya stifled a laugh at her as she groaned and made her way to her small kitchen in the far left corner. She set a pot of water over a small fire before excusing herself and disappearing through the door in the back of the room.

When she walked out a few moments later she was without her haori and shinigami uniform, dressed instead in an informal blue yukata with white vines of sakura blossoms trailing from the hem by her right ankle and wrapping around several times to end at her left shoulder, it was tied with a silver obi. Her hair was down, flowing freely over her shoulders as she walked into her kitchen to get two tea cups and the hot tea, she set everything on a tray and set it on the small table that served as a dining table. She knelt across from Byakuya, oblivious to the way his eyes had followed her as she walked, and poured them each a glass of the hot green tea.

"I'm not delaying the wedding again," Sayomi haughtily before Byakuya even had a chance to speak as she sipped at the hot tea in her hands,.

"It would only be a month, it would satisfy the-"

"The only thing that will satisfy those old jerks is you marrying someone else, and you know it," she snapped.

Sayomi sighed at the look she received in response to her raised voice. "Forgive me. It's just that they always do this and I don't understand how you can be so willing to give them what they want. Your grandfather was the one who suggested our union, it's disrespectful of the elders to go against his wishes." She said before quietly adding, "And hurtful to me."

"I in no way intend to hurt you, if you do not wish to postpone the wedding, then I will speak with the elders," Byakuya said.

"Really," Sayomi asked.

Byakuya reached across the small table and stroked Sayomi's cheek, she unconsciously nuzzled against his warm fingers and closed her eyes. It was rare that they had time alone and they had never been intimate, having decided to wait until they were married. She reveled in the feel of his fingers against her skin and sighed as her eyes opened and she smiled at him.

"What," she asked curiously when she saw the strange look in his eyes as he gazed at her. It was a soft look, a look she had never seen in his eyes before.

Instead of replying, he cupped her cheek and pulled her towards him, he leaned forward pressing their lips together warmly. They had kissed before, but this was different, there was a hunger now that neither had ever felt before. Sayomi found it hard to breath as their lips moved together, she reached forward and she ran her hands through his soft hair. Wanting to close the gap between them, Sayomi moved around the table and knelt beside Byakuya who gently wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into his lap so that she was cradled in his arms. He stood up with her in his arms and walked through her open bedroom door.

He set her on the large, soft bed before standing up to remove his white haori before laying over her and resuming his assault on her lips. Her breathing grew heavier as he began to kiss her neck and down the slightly open collar of her yukata.

She swallowed and attempted to think clearly, it was much harder to do than she had thought, "Byakuya," she said breathlessly. "Are you sure about this? I thought.." she trailed off as he lightly bit her neck. "Never mind."

"If you don't wish me to, Sayomi, then I will stop," he whispered into her ear before flicking his tongue across the bottom of it.

"Stop now and I think I might actually hurt you," Sayomi replied as she dug her nails into his back.

Byakuya leaned down and kissed her again, teasing her lips with his tongue. She smiled against his lips as she slipped her hands under the black fabric of his kimono top. His skin was warm under her touch and she could feel the small goosebumps that her feathery touches caused to breakout across his skin. Her eyes closed and breathing shuttered as he ground their bodies together.

"I will have you. You will be mine, I assure you," he said to her as he began to loosen her obi.

"As long as you will be mine, I have no complaints," she replied breathlessly.

She gasped and they both froze as a disturbance in the spiritual particles around them alerted them to the message that was about to be transmitted to them.

"Emergency meeting! Emergency meeting! All captains are to report to the First division immediately! There has been an accident involving the Ninth division, we can't get a soul signal from lieutenant Mashiro Kuna or captain Kensei Muguruma. This is an emergency, report immediately to the First division headquarters!"

Sayomi sighed and looked up at Byakuya, she smiled half heartedly. "It seems no one wants us together, and I'm beginning to believe we never will be."

"Don't say such things, I plan on marrying you in two months. We'll just have to wait patiently," he said as he kissed her on the forehead and stood from the bed.

"I'll be there as soon as I change," Sayomi said as Byakuya slipped on his haori and straightened his disheveled hair. He nodded before sweeping from the room.

She sighed again and quickly slipped back into her uniform and haori before leaving her room.

Matsumoto was right outside the door seeming much more sober than she had not long before.

"The disturbance a moment ago, has something happened?" she asked.

"There's been a meeting called for all captains, it seems Kensei and Mashiro's soul signals can't be found. I have to go, you are in charge in my absence, Jin isn't to do anything other than find a new position. The woman is useless," Sayomi said as she turned and flashed away.

She flashed to the First division to find the majority of the captains already gathered she took her spot beside the Eight division captain, Kyoraku in his bright pink haori that he always wore over his captain's haori, and waited for head captain Yamamoto to start the meeting.

"This an emergency," Yamamoto's cracked old voice began. "According to reports from the Ninth division vanguard who were on stand by, the captain and lieutenant, as well as six others from the Ninth division have disappeared. The reason is currently unknown. We are going to assume the worst until we have a better understanding of the situation. As of yesterday this was a problem in Rukongai, but now the pride of the Imperial Guard depends on getting to the bottom of this, so I will be selecting five captains to investigate the scene of the disappearance."

Everyone's eyes turned to the doorway as the double doors flew open to reveal a panting Kisuke Urahara, the captain of the Twelfth division.

"You're late," Yamamoto scolded.

"Please, let me go-"

"No," Yamamoto said before Kisuke could continue.

"But my lieutenant is-"

"Get a hold of yourself, Kisuke!" Yoruichi shouted, "You sent her yourself right? Don't you think trying to go rescue her is insulting?!"

"And it's Hiyori, the little brat will be fine," Sayomi agreed.

"To continue," Yamamoto started again. "Third division captain Rojuro Otoribashi, Fifth division captain Shinji Hirako, Seventh division Love Aikawa. You three head to the campgrounds. Second division captain Yoruichi Shihoin stand by and await further orders."

Sayomi fidgeted, that was only four captains and it seemed she wouldn't be getting dispatched to the campground. As much as she wanted to believe that her former captain was fine, she also wanted to go to his aid, part of her would always be his lieutenant and she wanted to help him if she could.

"Sixth division captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Eighth division captain Shunsui Kyoraku, Thirteenth division captain Juushiro Ukitake. Guard Seireitei."

'He hasn't told me to do anything,' Sayomi thought.

'_He's old, his memory must be going_.'

'Could be, but since I don't have orders at the moment if I go to the campground I won't be disobeying direct orders,' Sayomi replied.

'_True, but you won't be following them either,_' Fuyukaze pointed out.

Sayomi's attention was brought back to the meeting when the doors reopened and two men walked in. Kido captain, Tessai Tsukabishi and his lieutenant Hachigen Oshoda.

"Now that you know the situation I would like you both to head out to the site," Yamamoto informed them.

"Would it be wise to send both of them," captain Kyoraku asked. "We don't know what's out there."

"What would you suggest then?"

"Send my lieutenant instead," he replied. "Oh Lisa," he called.

"Yes captain," a dark haired woman answered as her face came into view form between to of the slats in the window.

"Will you do it," Kyoraku asked.

"Of course," Lisa replied.

"It's settled then. Shinji Hirako, Rojuro Otoribashi, Love Aikawa, Lisa Yadomaru, and Hachigen Oshoda, you five will leave for the camp site immediately," Yamamoto commanded.

The five nodded and everyone began to file out of the room.

"Captain Himura?"

Sayomi turned to see captain Ukitake behind her, smiling as he approached her.

"Can I help you, captain Ukitake," she asked.

"I noticed that you weren't given any specific orders, and was curious as to why you didn't point that out?"

"Well... I figure since I wasn't in the group dispatched to the site I would help guard Seireitei of course," she replied.

"More like as soon as no one is paying attention you'll be going to the site yourself, right captain," captain Kyoraku asked as he walked up beside his friend.

"No," Sayomi denied a little too quickly.

"Just be careful captain, we should be going," Kyoraku said.

"Good night," she said before turning and nearly colliding with Byakuya. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough. It's your duty to guard Soul Society, don't go running after a second rate captain and his lieutenant," he replied.

"You really are an ass sometimes," Sayomi said as she stepped around the man and began to make her way back to her own division.

"And you're stubborn, but I still agreed to marry you."

"Yeah well that's your problem. I'm perfectly fine being stubborn. I would also like to point out that I never said that you being an ass was a problem, I was just stating a fact."

"Sometimes you talk too much."

"I'm going back to my division, are you coming along," she asked coyly.

"In light of the current situation I will be going back to my own division and awaiting orders. Just as you should."

"Of course," Sayomi replied.

"Don't do anything rash, Sayomi," Byakuya said as he turned to make his way back to his own division.

"Of course not."

As Sayomi walked towards the wood building that served as the divisions offices she started to focus in on the five different reiatsu she could feel heading to Rukongai. She felt Shinji engage in a fight with something, but the reiatsu wasn't that of a hollow or a soul reaper. Focusing only on the reiatsu of the being Shinji was fighting as she walked up to her office door, she spaced out slightly and didn't notice the odd way Matsumoto looked at her as she walked in to the office, stopping just inside the door as her head cocked to the side.

"Captain," Matsumoto shouted as Sayomi's eyes widened and she doubled over, grabbing her stomach as if she had been hit, she was panting for breath as her hair fell forward and hid her face.

"That's impossible," she muttered.

"Captain, are you alright?" Matsumoto asked urgently.

Sayomi straightened up and nodded. "Stay here, no matter what happens Matsumoto stay here!" She ordered as she turned and disappeared in a swirl of white cloth.

She focused on the reiatsu of the five people who had been sent to the camp site as well as Hiyori's, she tried to find others, but it seemed there was nothing she could get a clear reading on. She knew though that she had felt Kensei's spiritual pressure, it was just a brief moment and it was mixed so densely with that of a hollow she wasn't sure what to make of it. She shunpo'd her way there all while trying to get a handle on the situation, by the flares in reiatsu, everyone was fighting, it was what they were fighting that she was having a hard time understanding.

When she saw the white of a tent ahead of her she slowed and walked around the tent to see that there were several bodies littering the ground, their blood staining the tent and the dirt.

"Todo, Kasaki, Eishima!" She shouted as she ran to the body of a thin man with long reddish brown hair. She turned his head so that she could see his face, his eyes were closed and he wasn't breathing, he had been stabbed several times and his body was drenched in his blood. "Eishima, what happened?" She mumbled as she gently laid her friend's head back onto the ground. She stood up and looked around at the rest of the bodies, she had once been friends with every man that lay here, she had fought with them and they had protected one another. Eishima was the closest thing she had to a best friend, they had always gotten along and usually were the two stuck calming Kensei down whenever the young Mashiro pissed him off, which was often.

Her head turned to the right when she heard the metallic screech of swords clashing and the angry howl of a hollow. Without another glance back at her dead friends, she took off towards the sounds of fighting only to came to an abrupt halt at the sight that was before her.

Rose was knocked out in a small crater in the hard ground, while Love and Lisa fought a large hollow that bore a striking resemblance to Kensei. Shinji was holding Hiyori while a small, thin hollow that looked a lot like Mashiro attacked him.

"What the hell," she muttered.

"Gochu tekkan."

Sayomi turned her head to see that Hachigen was using his kido to bind Mashiro, when the five pillars fell on the small girl and slammed her into the ground she stepped forward.

"What's going on," she shouted at Shinji.

"What the hell are you doin' here, Sayomi," he shouted back as Hachigen attempted to imprison Kensei as well.

"That won't work," Sayomi shouted as she leapt aside as Kensei crashed into the ground before her, a thick rope wrapped around him.

She held her right hand out to her side and let her sword and sheath form in her hand, she had the sword drawn and the sheath tucked into her obi just as Kensei broke free of the rope that Hachigen had tried to bind him with. There was a loud angry howl as Kensei rose and stood up to face her.

"Sayomi, get out of there," Love shouted at her.

"I was his lieutenant, I fought him everyday for seven years and quite often before that, I know his weaknesses. Back off," she shot back as she stepped to her left and spun as Kensei tried to attack her head on.

She side stepped him again and swung her sword out before her in a wide arc, trying to slash through his stomach that wasn't covered in the thick white armor of a hollow. She missed, but jumped above him to avoid the fist he threw at her. Using the momentum from her fall, Sayomi held her zanpakuto in both hands and crashed down on to Kensei's shoulder. A thin spray of red bloomed from the small cut she managed to inflict as she grunted and landed in a crouch behind him. He roared at the pain she had caused, flinging his limbs around himself wildly, Sayomi wasn't able to escape the arm that knocked into her ribs, sending her back several yards.

Gasping at the pain the three broken ribs she knew she had received, she steadied herself and flew back at Kensei. They exchanged blows for several minutes, moving over the ground and through the air as they clashed violently enough to cause the earth to tremble. Attempting to slice Kensei's already wounded shoulder, Sayomi flew towards him, but was instead thrown backwards as his armored hand connected with her stomach. She crashed into the ground, coughing blood from the force of the impact and the broken ribs that had punctured her lungs. Her white haori was torn and dirty, her wrists and face were littered in scratches and bruises as she groaned and pushed herself up in time to see Lisa try to attack Kensei from above and behind. Her attack failed and she was thrown forcefully through the air when Kensei's huge arm struck her side.

"Move," Sayomi ordered Love who was between her and Kensei, her voice barely more than a pant. "Now."

She stalked forward, her eyes cold and her face set into an emotionless mask. Kensei howled and charged at her. Sayomi crouched slightly and positioned her zanpakuto before her, her left hand just behind the blunt edge. Just as she prepared to swing a blow she knew would have hit him, Rose started shouting at him.

"Since when are you so weak Kensei, that you would attack a woman?!" He shouted.

Sayomi growled and her eyes narrowed when Kensei changed course and headed towards the incapacitated Rose, she flashed away from her spot to intercept, but was forced to leap back as Hachigen cast another spell and Kensei was bolted to the ground by two, thick long strips of metal and several large bolts.

Sayomi was panting freely now, and leaned over to catch her breath and to cough up more blood. She wiped at her chin with her hand to remove the blood that was running down her chin. Standing back up she looked at Shinji who still had Hiyori held in his left arm. She was torn up, but in no immediate danger.

"What the hell is going on, Shinji," Sayomi asked through her ragged breaths.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Sh-Shinji, put me down," Hiyori said as she started to cough violently.

All eyes turned to Hiyori as, not blood, but a white liquid bloomed from her lips and started to cover her face. She swung an arm out at Shinji, causing a spray of crimson liquid to rain down on the ground from a long gash to his chest.

Sayomi swung her head around when Rose started coughing from where he still lie on the ground. "Rose," she shouted as the same white substance erupted from his mouth.

Love and Lisa ran towards her and Shinji, but before they got far both suddenly fell as someone stabbed them from behind.

"Love, Lisa," Sayomi yelled as their bodies fell.

"You," Shinji spat at the man that was now visible, he was dark skinned with dark hair and wore strange sunglasses and a face mask.

"Tousen, you betrayed, Kensei, why," Sayomi shouted at him as she tried to charge at him, only to be stopped when Shinji grabbed her arm.

"Calm down."

"Actually he didn't betray anyone, he's quite faithful," a smooth, arrogant voice said from behind them. "He just faithfully followed my orders."

"You," Shinji said icily as he turned to see his brown haired, glasses wearing lieutenant smiling at them. "Aizen and you."

Sayomi turned at that point and her eyes widened when she saw the grinning face of her elder brother beside Aizen's. "Gin," she hissed, her full attention was focused on him as he walked beside Aizen. "Traitor," she growled.

"So it was you after all," Shinji said angrily.

"You suspected," Sayomi snapped at him. "How could you-"

"Now captain Himura, I believe he was speaking to me. Not that I'm surprised captain Hirako, but how long?" Aizen asked.

"Since you were in your mother's womb," Shinji growled. "I knew you were dangerous, that you couldn't be trusted, that's why I chose you as my lieutenant."

"I thank you for that, because of your deep seated doubts, you never suspected a thing," Aizen said.

"I just told you I suspected-"

"You never noticed did you? That this whole month it wasn't me walking behind you," Aizen asked.

Shinji's eyes widened and Sayomi gasped.

"The ability to make the enemy see whatever I want him to, that's the true power of my Kyoka Suigetsu. I prefer to call it absolute hypnosis. If you had interacted with me as other captains do with their lieutenants you may have noticed the subtle variations in my mannerisms and movements, but you didn't. The reason you are all here is because you didn't have a better understanding of me, you had no idea who I was or what I was capable of," Aizen explained. "Oh and another thing. You say you chose me, but it's really the other way around. I chose you. I could have declined the offer to be your lieutenant, but I didn't. Your suspicions and vigilance were perfect for my plans, perhaps you should apologize to your friends for choosing me. If you hadn't, they wouldn't be here about to die."

"Aizen," Shinji growled angrily as he prepared to draw his zanpakuto. Instead of drawing his zanpakuto though, he doubled over and began to cough.

"Shinji," Sayomi cried and ran towards him only to stop when she saw the white substance pouring from his mouth. "What did you do?" She yelled at Aizen as she drew her zanpakuto.

"Thank you for rising to my provocation, it seems to speed the hollowfication process," Aizen said.

"Hollowfication, what are you talking about," Sayomi asked.

"I'm a little surprised you haven't succumbed to it yet, but then you were always good at keeping your cool. I'm sorry to say this, Sayomi, I always admired your beauty and Gin has a soft spot for you, but-"

"Do we really gotta kill her," Gin asked a hint of sadness in his tone.

"I'm afraid-"

"The one dying here isn't going to be me," Sayomi said coldly as she charged at her brother.

Gin leapt aside, drawing his own zanpakuto in defense. He did nothing, but block the hits she threw at him, and well, which surprised her. She was a captain, he was only the fourth seat of the Fifth division at the moment. Growling angrily, she managed to leap away from the extended blade of his zanpakuto and slice his right arm open, he dropped his sword and backed up as Sayomi advanced angrily on him.

"Now lil sis, jus' calm down, I never meant for ya to get involved," he said.

She cried out angrily and went to attack, but before she took a single step she ground her teeth together as a sword pierced through her right shoulder, she fell to her knees coughing up a mix of blood and the same white material that was now trying to engulf the faces and bodies of all but the three traitors. She didn't know when it had happened, but even Hachigen had been injured and a white mask was forming over his face as well.

As she coughed and hacked a shadow fell over her, she looked up defiantly, a steely glint in her ice blue eyes, to see that Aizen and Gin were looking down at her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to keep her vision in focus, she cried out in desperation and flung her sword out before her trying to kill the men who were responsible for the horrible scene around her. She missed Aizen, but sliced through Gin's stomach, not deep enough to cause any permanent damage, it was more like a scratch that would heal without treatment. She screamed again as she fell forward, tears pouring from her eyes as she thought of the wedding that was supposed to have been in only a few months, of the children she had wanted, the life she had envisioned for herself, it all shattered painfully before her eyes.

"Kaname, Gin," Aizen said.

"Right," Kaname answered.

She heard Gin sigh, but draw his sword. "Sorry 'bout this, but it's for the best."

She waited for the blow, she no longer had the strength or will to dodge it, but it never came. She blinked her weary eyes open to see that Kisuke and Tessai were there, what happened after that she didn't know, she blacked out and wouldn't come to for nearly a week.

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Please review!


	18. Chapter 18 Tests, Trials and Games

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach, yay! ......

Hi again!(Dodges assortment of blunt objects and...a wireless keyboard....) That wasn't very nice. Then again I suppose neither was me making you wait a ridiculously long time for this chapter. It's not the best chapter ever, but there's some fun stuff in there so hopefully you enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**Tests, Trials and Games**

Sayomi's heels clicked quietly against the marble floors as she gracefully stalked through the pristine white halls of Las Noches. One week had past and so far nothing of any interest had happened. She had made plenty of enemies and very few friends in the short time span, but for the most part she was left to her own devices and not bothered by any of the Arrancar. She had visited Orihime on an almost daily basis, which quickly made her and Ulquiorra enemies. The man was cold hearted and about as movable as a mountain, he treated Orihime like an insect that had to be kept alive only to later be fed upon. It angered Sayomi who would usually end up being scolded by Aizen or on two occasions her brother, his scoldings were little more than chuckles and a shake of his head as he told her that the mopey kid was stronger than he looked.

Orihime herself was quiet and withdrawn. She had resigned herself to her fate to help Aizen without question because of her feelings of inadequacy. She felt she was too weak and only burdened Ichigo and the others. Their lives had been threatened, which is why she had come willingly, but Sayomi knew that she also felt she could somehow use her ability to revert the Hogyoku to nothing more than a useless stone. She hadn't voiced this yet, but Sayomi could see the defiant tint to the girl's once bright eyes, it was the only sign that she was still alive.

Not once, had Orihime questioned Sayomi about why she was also in Hueco Muendo. The red head had made a comment to her once though, while she had been playing with Wonderweiss, a young, newly awakened Arrancar that had taken a liking to her. Sayomi had been making little flurries of snowflakes swirl around the boy, who despite his appearance was very childlike in nature. The blond boy would try to catch the snowflakes on his tongue or try to grasp them out of the air only to look into his hands with a frown when they had already melted. Orihime had watched silently from the couch.

"You have the same look in your eyes that Ichigo gets sometimes. That look that he always gets when he thinks he's doing what's best for everyone. He's so stubborn sometimes," Orihime had said.

Sayomi had blinked in confusion, letting the flurries of snow stop abruptly as she turned to look curiously at Orihime. Before she could respond or ask what she had meant, Wonderweiss, who had been jumping around to get the snow, suddenly landed in her lap having fallen over when the snow had disappeared. She let out an 'umph' and looked down at the young boy sprawled across her and the floor before sighing and shaking her head as she patted his head.

"I'm pretty stubborn too," Sayomi had said to her later with a smile as she left with Wonderweiss.

Nonchalantly pushing the doors that led into the outer chamber of Grimmjow and his fraccion's rooms open, Sayomi walked through the room, the few Arrancar there knowing better than to stop her, but also knowing that they'd hear about it later. Tossing open another set of doors, that she made sure closed behind her, she walked to the large messy bed in the center of the room, grabbed a handful of white sheets and pulled them from Grimmjow's sleeping body.

"Get up, Kitten, I'm bored," she said blandly as the sheets fell to the floor.

"Like I give a shit," he grumbled as he put a pillow over his head and rolled on to his side.

Sayomi quirked a brow at him, he was shirtless and in the usual white hakama that were sitting precariously low on his very toned waist.

"Entertain me," she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure that the whole bed jolted as she did so.

"It's too early for your crap. Go away," Grimmjow growled.

"But I like bugging you. It's my only source of entertainment."

Sayomi squeaked when she was grabbed from behind, a strong arm wrapping around her hips to lift her up before dropping her on to the bed on her back. She glared up at Grimmjow who was know straddling her waist and had managed to pin her arms above her head.

"I can think of a few ways to entertain you," he taunted with a grin.

"And I can think of quite a few ways to kill you," she replied sweetly with an innocent smile.

"Like you could," he snorted.

"Try me."

"I'd love to."

"Pervert," Sayomi grumbled as she turned her head away stubbornly.

"Thought you were going to kill me," Grimmjow said as he leaned over her, their chests pressing together as he whispered in her ear before flicking his tongue lightly over her neck.

A growl rumbled in Sayomi's chest as she fought back the shiver that threatened to run down her spine. The next thing he did was to nip at ear and then at the overly sensitive spot at the curve of her neck. She couldn't hold back the soft gasp that escaped her lips as he bit her again in the same spot.

"Enjoying yourself," he breathed in her ear.

Sayomi growled again, pushing against Grimmjow and forcing him off of her body. When he flopped onto his back, grinning at her arrogantly, she smirked and quickly pinned him down in the same position he had had her in.

"Maybe I've changed mind," she purred, running a finger from his navel to his chest, slowly leaning closer to him in the process.

Her hair fell over her shoulders as she kissed the base of his neck, flickering her tongue over the skin before trailing kisses up his neck to his ear. Bringing her hands to either side of his chest, she racked her nails over the skin, not enough to hurt or leave much of a mark, but she smirked against his skin when his head tilted back slightly and a groan escaped his lips. Placing her lips next to his ear, she softly whispered, "You may never have met a woman you couldn't get, but that was before I came along. Now you've met one you can't get _and_ she can play the same games as you."

Grimmjow growled when Sayomi met his eyes with an arrogant grin and hopped off of him and the bed.

"What the hell," Grimmjow shouted.

"What?" Sayomi asked innocently as she straightened her clothes.

"You were playing with me."

"Like you weren't playing with me? Women are nothing but things you use to pass the time. I am not that kind of woman. You want me? Then seduce me," she said with a seductive smirk of her own as she turned to leave.

"Stupid bitch," Grimmjow grumbled before throwing himself back into his pillows.

'_Seduce you_?' Fuyukaze asked incredulously.

'What? You don't approve, Fuyu?'

'_No, I don't_.'

'Well don't worry about it. I don't plan on being seduced.'

'_Good, he doesn't deserve you. Even if you two do have a lot in common_,' Fuyukaze added airily.

Sayomi scowled. 'Fuyu,' she growled.

'_Are you trying to deny that you can be arrogant, self centered, stubborn, ru_-'

'That's enough out of you, you flamboyant jerk,' Sayomi snapped.

'_Still don't like hearing the truth_,' Fuyukaze sighed.

'You have been awfully moody lately Fuyukaze, is there a reason?'

'_You mean aside from being stuck in Hueco Muendo with nothing to do even though there are plenty of hollows around_?'

'Was that sarcasm, Fuyu? How rare for you to display such a childish emotion,' Sayomi replied.

'_Sayomi-sama you're being difficult again_,' Fuyukaze complained shortly.

'Usually. Anyways, it is fairly boring here. I'm actually starting to miss the living world, I didn't think that was possible.'

'_Are you sure you want to do this, Sayomi-hime_?'

'If you're referring to killing my dear brother, then yes, of course I'm sure.'

'_Ever since we came here, you've been thinking a lot about the past. About your brother and what he was like, and even about Byakuya-sama. You seem uncertain_,' Fuyukaze explained.

Sayomi walked into her room, through the outer room and into her bedchamber. Removing the black boots she wore, she laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her face was blank, her eyes thoughtful and distant.

Sighing, she shut her eyes, relaxing her entire body and letting her mind wander to the cave that Fuyukaze was lounging in. His hair was down and rested on his shoulders, his deep blue eyes watched her materialize into his world with cloaked amusement. He was resting against the far wall, furthest away from the entrance of the cave and nearest to the little fire that burned in the center. His legs were crossed as were his arms, he unfolded his arms as Sayomi walked over to him and sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"_Cold already_?" He teased when Sayomi shivered and leaned further into him.

She shot him an irritated glare, but didn't reply as he put his arm around her. Ever since she had come to Hueco Muendo she had worn the same uniform of the backless, mock-necked shirt and the short hakama. It was fine while in Las Noches that never seemed to be too hot or too cold, but here in her freezing cold inner world with Fuyukaze, it wasn't the best choice of clothing.

"_Stop scowling, hime, you're not suited for it. Now why don't you tell me what's bothering you, little one_."

"Nothing is bothering me," she replied automatically.

"_I see. So then if nothing is bothering you why are the winds outside fighting with each other_?" Fuyukaze asked.

Sayomi raised her head to look out into the darkness beyond the cave entrance. At first glance everything looked calm, but Sayomi knew this world well, perhaps not as well as Fuyukaze, but she could see what he meant. The winds were normal in these mountains, but usually when she was calm the winds would die down to little more than whispers and would only flow in one direction. However the normal flow was being disrupted by several weak, but obvious flurries and gusts of winds that were buffeting through the mountain range in several different directions.

"It's a little annoying that you can usually tell what I'm feeling when I can't," Sayomi stated, lying her head back on Fuyukaze's shoulder.

"_We've been together a long time, of course I know. So tell me little hime, what is bothering you_?" He asked.

Sayomi closed her eyes at the sound of his quiet, airy voice, it always calmed her and made her feel so at ease. "I keep thinking about when we were children, back to before Rangiku was a part of our little family. It's still funny that she wound up being my subordinate, but that's not what we're talking about right now. Gin always took care of me, worried about me and made sure that none of the disgusting men that inhabit the poorer districts of Rukongai ever touched me. If it weren't for him I would have died a long time ago when our mother abandoned us and left us in the forest to die. It wasn't our fault we needed food and were frequently hungry, but it made us weird and unwanted burdens.

Gin could have easily left me too, he was older and stronger than me. I was just a toddler who could barely walk on her own. He didn't though, the thought of abandoning me never crossed his mind. I was his little sister and no matter what he said he would always be there for me."

"_Sounds like he was indeed a very good brother to the little, Sayomi-sama_," Fuyukaze observed quietly, waiting for Sayomi to continue with her thoughts.

Sayomi closed her eyes and curled up against Fuyukaze, she stared down at her hands that were in her lap, her knees were resting on Fuyukaze's dark blue covered leg. She wiggled her fingers slowly, watching the way they moved before sighing and snuggling closer to the person she considered to be her only friend.

"Does it bother you, Fuyu?" She questioned.

"_Does what bother me_?"

"This? You're always the one I turn to. You comfort me and you're always taking care of me. Do you ever think you should have chosen someone stronger?"

Light chuckles floated around the room, making Sayomi frown as she glanced up at the man who merely smiled at her. "_You're a very silly child sometimes_."

"I am not a child," she objected stubbornly.

"_Hmm, but you're so small_."

"Fuyu, I was being serious," she complained, pushing away from him to bring her knees to her chest and wrap her arms around herself.

"_I know you were, but it's not like you to ask such questions. What did I tell you the first time I brought you to this world_?" He put his arm around Sayomi again and pulled her back to him, she stubbornly remained the way she was sitting and refused to lean on him. He shook his head, his white hair making a soft swishing noise. "_I told you that I would always be by your side and I would always help you, did I not_?"

Sayomi nodded, "You did."

"_Do you think I lied_?"

"No, but I'm more of a burden-"

"_You are not a burden, Sayomi-sama, you never have been_," Fuyukaze cut in.

She didn't reply, but after a few seconds she relaxed against Fuyukaze and curled up against him once again. A pleased smile crossed his face as he wrapped his arm around her tighter to help shield her from the cold that seeped into the cave and wasn't dispelled by the fire.

"Thank you Fuyukaze, for always putting up with me. I know I'm not always easy to deal with."

"_No, you're not, but that's part of your charm_."

"That's what Gin used to say, not about me being stubborn necessarily though. I've always been a little stubborn."

"_A little_?"

Sayomi smiled, elbowing Fuyukaze in the side playfully. "It's different when you're a small child. Shut up," she snapped when Fuyukaze snickered. "It's always been annoying to me, to be literally looked down upon and to have to look up to everyone else. I would get so angry and Gin would always put a hand on my head and grin down at me as he ruffled my hair while telling me that being short was part of my charm."

"_You miss him, don't you_?"

"I miss who he was. He isn't my big brother anymore, the one who promised to always take care of me. He was going to kill me and he betrayed Soul Society and for what exactly? Power? It's just not like him, not like the brother I knew. He's a monster that looks like him," Sayomi replied sadly.

"_And what of little Byakuya-sama, why has he been on your mind so much recently_?"

"He's hardly little anymore," Sayomi snorted when she recalled their brief meeting in the streets of Karakura town. He had changed so much, he was taller and more refined than she remembered him being. His form was still thin, but he had grown into a man, he was no longer the same person, the same young man that was barely out of his teens when he took over as captain of the Sixth division. "I don't really know why I've been thinking of him so much, I guess I'm curious as to who he married and how he's been all these years. Maybe a little worried about what he'll think when everyone learns that I've joined up with Aizen. It was bad enough hearing him tell me so cruelly to return to the dead. If he actually wants me dead and knowing him, he will, I don't know if I could really handle that. Regardless of the circumstances now, I loved him and don't want to have to cross swords with him, or any soul reaper for that matter. I may not have a choice though. I chose this path, so I'll have to deal with the repercussions of my decision when they come and I know they will."

"_And what about Kensei_?"

"What about him? Once he learns that I've betrayed them, he'll hate me. I doubt he would actually go so far as to kill me, but he said himself that if I ever betrayed them he would never forgive me."

"_Does that bother you_?"

"A little, but I was prepared for it. I do love Kensei, but I need to do this. There is still a chance, a small one, but if I get out of this alive, who knows maybe he'll forgive me. The others too, I would like that. I've never been fond of being disliked even though I don't really care what people think of me either," she replied, suppressing a small yawn as she closed her eyes.

"_You have always cared about what those two thought. I wonder what you would do if they both forgave you for the wrongs they believe you've done_?" Fuyukaze said quietly as Sayomi nodded off to sleep against him.

* * *

"It's been one week since they've taken both Sayomi and that human girl. They haven't made a single move since then, what should we do?" Lisa asked.

All of the eight remaining Vizard were gathered in the space that was used as a living room, they all looked a bit more serious than usual and the air was tense.

"What can we do, we have to wait." Love replied.

"Who said we had to do anything," Kensei snorted.

"What's been with you Kensei, you don't seem ta care that yer little princess is gone," Hiyori observed.

"I'm not as naïve as the rest of you," he retorted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean you over sized jerk," Hiyori shouted.

"Quiet down Hiyori," Shinji groaned, twisting a finger in his ear as he grimaced. "He means what we're all thinking, but won't say."

"And just what is that," Kensei asked.

"That Sayomi wanted to go."

Everyone went quiet, it had been something they had all thought of as a possibility. It was no secret that she wanted to kill her brother. Combined with her actions over the past several weeks and the fact that she was in the complete opposite direction of the store at the time the Arrancar had invaded did little to help anyone think otherwise. The only thing that made them question whether it had been her intention or not was the way Shinji described her confrontation with the one Arrancar who had wounded her. He had said she had been taken completely by surprise, the look on her face had been real and not an act.

"So what do we do," Love asked soberly.

"Leave it alone," Kensei said. "There's no doubt in my mind that she had this planned out."

"Even so, did she plan only on being taken there or does she plan on joining with Aizen," Rose questioned.

"We'll find out soon enough," Shinji replied seconds before several strong spirit energies entered the area, pressing down against them enough to make them gasp in surprise and adjusting their own reiatsu accordingly.

* * *

"You want me to do what?" Sayomi asked Aizen.

She was gathered in a meeting room with the top ten Espada, Aizen, Gin and Tousen. She had been sitting on the arm of Grimmjow's chair, one of her feet on the table and her other crossed over it in a way that looked awkward, but was actually quite comfortable. The blue haired Espada was scowling at her, ignoring most of what Aizen said.

"I think you heard me perfectly well, Sayomi. You need to prove to us that we can trust you," Aizen replied smoothly.

Sayomi lifted a white brow, but otherwise remained impassive. "And why should I care whether or not they trust me?"

"As stubborn as ever," Aizen replied with a small smirk.

"What did you expect? What you're asking of me is insane. There are several high ranking soul reapers in Karakura right now, how am I supposed to deal with them?"

"You won't have to. You won't be going alone. Grimmjow and a few others will accompany you to keep them busy while you deal with Urahara," Aizen replied.

"Fine, but I still don't like this. I don't have a quarrel with that idiot, but at least it should be fun to kick his ass, as long as he doesn't run away first. He's always been good at that," Sayomi stated crossly.

"Good, you're all dismissed. Grimmjow, Sayomi choose two others to go with you and leave immediately," Aizen ordered as he rose regally from his seat.

Sayomi nodded and looked to Grimmjow with a smile, Grimmjow grunted, rolled his eyes and elbowed Sayomi off the arm of his chair.

"So grouchy little Kitten, did you not sleep well," Sayomi asked teasingly, a small smile on her lips and a devious glint in her eyes.

Grimmjow growled at her as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked past her.

"You two spend quite a bit of time together, Sayomi, I hope Grimmjow is behaving."

Sayomi scowled, her lip twitching at the sound of the voice. She smoothed her face and turned to face Aizen with a smile.

"He's a perfect gentleman."

"Now that don't sound a thing like lil Grimmy," Gin said from Aizen's left.

"You're right, Gin, it doesn't. Maybe Sayomi here has finally taught him some manners," Aizen replied.

Sayomi snorted. "I could sooner teach a dog to fly than teach that egomaniac manners."

"When you have returned, I'd like to speak with you. Privately," Aizen said to her.

"Of course," she complied easily, but she hadn't failed to notice that Gin had cocked his head slightly and his grin had wavered for an instant.

"I should let you prepare to go. Be careful."

"Later lil sis," Gin said as he turned to follow Aizen and Kaname from the room.

'I don't like this Fuyukaze,' Sayomi said in her mind to the man that she could see frowning.

'_I don't either. At least you weren't ordered to kill him_.'

'While that's true, that's also what bothers me. Why only figure out what he's doing? Soul Society would find out and alter their plans, meaning what I find would be useless. I'm not sure, but I think he wants Soul Society to know I'm alive and well and on his side, he wants the home and the people I cared so much about to know I'm a traitor. He's basically putting my head on a chopping block. Hopefully, no one actually cuts it off.'

'_Why would he want to kill you_?'

'..Think about it Fuyu. If I'm a traitor to both places I have ever called home, where will I go? If no one will except me but him, I will have no choice but to stay here. He wants to trap me here.'

'_This is getting dangerous Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze said grimly.

"Yes, it is," Sayomi quietly said aloud, frowning as she made her way out of the room to find Grimmjow and two male Arrancar she had seen but never bothered to speak with waiting for her. "Ready?" She asked, ignoring the both of the Arrancar beside Grimmjow, they didn't seem to mind.

"What do you think," Grimmjow sneered.

"Good, lets go."

* * *

Please review!


	19. Chapter 19 True Feelings

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach, I don't even have any bleach so my whites are a little not so white.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**True Feelings**

"Remember why you're here," Sayomi turned to say to the three men who were standing behind her as they exited the blackness that made up the Garganta and stepped into the clear bright blue sky above Karakura town. Under normal circumstances she would be seen in such an inconspicuous place, but Aizen had asked one of the Espada, Szayel Aporro Grantz, the resident pink haired oddball scientist in Hueco Muendo, to make a bracelet for her to wear that would make her invisible to all but Soul Reapers and any type of hollow. The bracelet was just a plain silver bangle that was currently on her left wrist, dangling there as she focused on Grimmjow and ignored the other two nameless Arrancar behind him.

"What the fuck are ya lookin' at me for?" He grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning back to stare back at her arrogantly.

"You're the one who likes to go off on your own and ends up causing more trouble than is necessary. Remember that while you're here, you're here to provide me with an opportunity to get the candy baka to tell me what he's up to. I can't do my job if you don't do yours and keep the few Soul Reapers and various other people who might interfere, away from me. Now," Sayomi said, sticking her right arm out to her side. "Breathe, Fuyukaze. With that being said," she continued as the decorative blue sheath of Fuyukaze formed in her hand and a sharp, cold wind stirred around her. "We should start with the three behind me, just don't kill them please."

"What three be-"

Grimmjow never finished his question when Sayomi unsheathed Fuyukaze in a swift, fluid movement, pivoting on her heel to block the blade of Hiyori's sword from trying to take her head off. She pushed the small blond away from her easily, sending her skidding through the air before she stopped a few feet in front of Shinji and Kensei who were eying the four white clad people carefully, and quite angrily in Kensei's case.

"What did I tell you," Kensei growled as he narrowed his eyes at Sayomi in her white uniform. "She's with them now, she betrayed us."

"It seems ya were right," Shinji sighed, adjusting the gray cap on his blond head. "But I still think there's more to this than that."

"Who the hell are these freaks?" Grimmjow asked, stepping up behind Sayomi.

"Old friends," Sayomi replied monotonously. "So do me a favor and don't kill them."

Grimmjow smirked, leaning down to put his mouth by Sayomi's ear. "And what do I get in return?"

With a twitch, her eyes narrowed, Sayomi turned her head just enough to glare at Grimmjow. "Fine, you can kill the girl, but the other two stay alive, got it?"

"Throw in a kiss and you have a deal," he answered, his smirk growing at the annoyance in Sayomi's eyes.

Sayomi shrugged. "Sure." Turning her attention back to the three people in front of her she said, "Well, it was nice of you to come and say hello, but I have an appointment with someone, so if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to play with Kitten here and his little friends."

"Would you stop calling me that," Grimmjow snapped.

"No, it's cute," Sayomi replied with little interest as she waved a hand in the air dismissively.

"Would you stop ignoring us like we ain't even here," Hiyori shouted as she charged at them.

"Have fun, Kitten," Sayomi sang, winking at Grimmjow when he growled and raised his hand as if to hit her before flashing off towards Urahara's. She let a low growl slip through her throat as she took a glance over her shoulder to see that Kensei was following her. She figured Shinji and Hiyori were keeping her three escorts busy, but she didn't think it would take long before they retreated, they couldn't risk drawing too much attention to themselves and at the moment, Ichigo and two other Soul Reapers were headed towards the fight. She easily recognized Rangiku's spirit energy and the one with her was vaguely familiar, it took her a moment, but she pegged the reiatsu as belonging to the white haired boy that had been with Rangiku when she had seen her at the school. "Dammit," she cursed, landing on a nearby building and coming to a halt.

The sounds of Kensei's heavy black combat boots hitting the concrete of the roof was carried on the wind like an ominous clap of thunder. He stood facing Sayomi's barely clothed back as she stared vacantly off into the distance, her snow white hair dancing behind her in the light breeze that was sweeping over the roof.

"It means so much to you to kill your brother that you would betray the people who care about you and would have done anything to help you?" He asked.

"I didn't want to betray you, Kensei, but I didn't have many options. In order to accomplish my goal, I needed to be where he was, and now I am," she replied, still facing away from him.

"Why are you here?"

"I need to talk with Urahara," she answered shortly.

"Why?"

"Because I was ordered to."

"So you take orders from Aizen now," Kensei growled.

"I don't have much choice if I want to gain their trust."

"And just how far are you willing to go to do that, Sayomi?"

She turned to face him, her expression was controlled, calm, but there was a sadness in her eyes that took her a moment longer to school into blank pools. "As far as I have to. Aizen is not to be taken lightly, but if I can get his trust I can end this and there won't have to be a war or needless bloodshed. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, but at least understand that I am doing what I feel is right."

"You always feel that what you're doing is right, you're a woman for crying out loud," he snapped. "This time though, you're wrong, Sayomi. Helping the ones who betrayed us, the ones who were responsible for what happened to us a hundred years ago just to get your revenge, is not right. We were your friends, Sayomi, your only friends and you have betrayed us. How does it feel to know you have no one left?"

"It actually makes me feel a lot better knowing that," she replied, turning around and pointing a finger at him. "Makes it easier to do this, bakudo nine, Geki." There was a blinding flash of red light that engulfed Kensei making him unable to move from his spot. "For what it's worth, I don't plan on being a problem to you all for long."

Kensei growled at her, he couldn't even move to try and struggle, he was completely paralyzed as he watched her turn and flash step away.

She made it to the Urahara Shoten quickly and wasn't surprised to see the blond shopkeeper leaning against the wall of his shop, his hat covering his eyes and his arms folded over his chest. It was easy to see that he was in a serious mood as he pushed himself away from the wall without a word and walked into the shop, leaving the door open behind him. Casting a quick glance around herself, Sayomi flashed after the blond, she found him sitting at his round table, a cup of steaming hot tea in front of him and another on the opposite side of the table. Taking the seat opposite Urahara and setting Fuyukaze in her lap, her hands folded primly over the sheath, she raised her blue eyes to look at Urahara, his eyes were shadowed by his hat, his hands were folded in his lap and at first glance it would almost appear as if the man were meditating.

"I take it you know why I'm here," Sayomi asked.

"I have an idea, but I never thought you of all people would willingly go to Aizen's side."

"We do what we must."

"Yes, we do, don't we," he replied with a faint smile. "It's strange though, sending you to find out what I'm up to. You already have an idea, don't you, you knew the night that Ichigo and the others came back that I was given orders from Soul Society."

"You're right. I have an idea, but I figured Aizen doesn't need to know that. As for sending me here, it makes perfect sense and I'm sure you know why."

"Aizen has always had a strange fascination with you, you just never seemed to notice. By sending you to do some dirty work for him, he's ensuring that you are not only trustworthy, but that your status as a traitor to Soul Society is noticed as well as the fact that you are still alive. You're putting yourself into a tight corner Sayomi, that's a little unlike you. You usually think things through so well."

"It seems I failed to take into account that Aizen is a creepy, manipulative bastard," she retorted. "But that's what I figured too, it's just hard to tell with that man. I'm being trapped in a game I started, I'm not too happy about that, but I'll have to deal with it. I need to earn his trust and to do that I need you to spill what you know willingly or I'll have to force it out of you."

He sighed, taking a sip of his tea before standing from the table. "In that case, lets go downstairs, shall we?"

"With pleasure, I've always wanted to kick your ass, but you always managed to get out of sparring with me," Sayomi replied with a smile.

Chuckling, Urahara led her to the trap door that led to the underground room. "Yes well, you can be quite scary sometimes, can you blame me?"

Sayomi opened her mouth to reply, but cocked her head to the side as if listening for something. "Looks like you got lucky, Kisuke."

"Huh?" He grunted in confusion, blinking at her back and rubbing at his head.

She strapped Fuyukaze to her back, the hilt over her left shoulder before taking off from the shop, leaving a few snowflakes in her wake. When she reappeared, she was crouched in the sky, Fuyukaze gripped in both hands and held above her head, blocking a blow from Grimmjow's sword that would have landed on a wounded, but still quite feisty busty woman wearing a pink scarf. A quick glance around was enough for her to get a handle on the situation. The two other Arrancar were fighting with the short white haired boy, who judging by the haori he wore was the captain of the Tenth division. Ichigo was just a little to the right, it appeared that he had been fighting Grimmjow, he was pretty torn up at the moment and she figured that Rangiku must have stepped in to try and help him.

"What the hell," Grimmjow snapped at her.

"What did I say about killing?" Sayomi asked darkly, locking her light blue eyes with Grimmjow's darker ones. "I said, not to do it, right?"

"Only about the other two," he grumbled, scratching his head and looking away. "And they all took off before these ones showed up."

"S-Sayomi?" The red head that she had just protected stuttered out.

Sighing, Sayomi turned her head to face the woman. "Hello, Rangiku. Ichigo," she said as she glanced at the orange haired teen that was staring up at her with wide, confused amber eyes.

"Why are you... What the hell is going on, Sayomi!" Ichigo shouted angrily, his eyes narrowing and his fist tightening its loose grasp on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"That's enough," Sayomi demanded over her shoulder, directing her comment to the two Arrancar fighting the captain.

When they stopped and joined her and Grimmjow, the white haired captain blinked at her. "Who are you?" He asked.

"We're leaving," Sayomi said to Grimmjow, sheathing her zanpakuto as she turned her back to the surprised Rangiku, completely ignoring the disgruntled glare she was getting from the captain.

"Did you get what we came here for?" Grimmjow asked.

Sayomi shot him an annoyed glare before rolling her eyes and looking away. "No."

"Then what the-"

"I said we're going," Sayomi repeated icily.

"Sayomi, I thought you were dead, what happened to you? Why are you helping them?" Rangiku questioned.

Sayomi turned back around. "It would be better if you didn't know what happened, but I'll tell you this much. Soul Society betrayed me before I ever betrayed them. I'm sorry, Rangiku, but I have to go now."

"Wait, what the hell is going on!? You were taken by them! How come you're helping them?! And where is Orihime," Ichigo demanded taking several steps towards Sayomi.

"Orihime is fine, as long as she is useful, Aizen won't harm her, but I have no reason to answer any of your other questions," Sayomi replied. "My business in Hueco Muendo doesn't concern you, so it's best if you just stay out of my way and behave like a good little soul reaper."

Balling his hands into fists at his sides, Ichigo ran forward in an attempt to grab Sayomi's arm. He didn't get far when his hand was caught in Grimmjow's fist and he was sent reeling backward as a fist connected with his cheek.

"I could have handled that," Sayomi told Grimmjow coldly.

"You're welcome," Grimmjow grunted.

"We're leaving, now," she said forcefully.

"Yeah, yeah, stop your bitching," he muttered, raising a hand to slice through the air in front of the four of their group.

* * *

"Back so soon," Aizen inquired airily as Sayomi was led into a large white room.

The room was bare except for the large couch in its center that faced the wide, open balcony that looked over the continuous night that shrouded Hueco Muendo in a never ending darkness.

"Yes, I wasn't able to get the information you had asked for, I got a little sidetracked. I know Urahara was asked to do something, but I don't know what," Sayomi replied, standing before the single couch that Aizen was sitting on.

"So you failed. I had expected as much."

"You didn't believe I was capable of such a simple task, what a rude thing to say," Sayomi said blandly, tweaking a brow up in offense.

"That's not what I meant at all, Sayomi. I didn't expect you to accomplish your task because you lied to me, didn't you?" He asked smoothly, a smirk pulling the right side of his lips upward.

"What are you talking about," she asked, trying a lot harder than she would have thought just to keep from shivering at the look she was receiving and keeping her face blank.

"Why don't you have seat," Aizen offered, smiling a deviously warm smile while patting the spot right beside him.

"I'd rather stand."

Aizen chuckled. "You don't trust me, that hurts my feelings, but that's alright, I don't trust you either."

It took a lot of effort to not shift her eyes from Aizen's challenging and dark stare, there was something predatory in those brown eyes as they stared at her and it unnerved her. "I haven't earned your trust yet, so I don't expect you to trust me. Is there someway to make up for my failure?"

"Determined little thing, aren't you? Why are you trying so hard to win my trust, you want to kill your brother and you've had plenty of opportunities, so why haven't you taken them?"

She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she silently cursed herself for having under estimated the man that was smirking at her like a rabid wolf. Forcing a laugh, she smiled lopsidedly. "If you knew that I lied and was only here to try and kill my dear big brother, then why go through the trouble of testing me and letting me wander around here freely?"

"What do you think is happening in Soul Society right now?" He asked.

"I don't know and I can't say I really care."

"You should care since it's highly likely that the order for your capture is being given to the remaining captains."

Aizen raised a brow when Sayomi openly laughed at his statement. "I'm afraid I'm not as optimistic as you are, I doubt that I'll be wanted alive as captured implies. It's more likely that my death sentence is being handed down and I also know that there will be one captain who will take it upon himself to be the deliverer of that sentence."

"It seems your list of allies is growing thin, Sayomi," Aizen commented.

"Which is exactly what you wanted, I just don't know why."

"See, this is why I like you, you're smart. I do have a question though, if you knew that sending you to the living world was a trap, why go?"

"You asked me to," she replied simply. "I would have been disobeying direct orders if I hadn't."

"But your allegiance doesn't lie with me," Aizen stated.

"Does it matter where my allegiance lies? I have nowhere to go, I have betrayed everyone who ever cared about me and I am an enemy to the only place I have ever considered to be my home. If I hadn't done as you had asked, it would have caused me too much trouble. I came here knowing full well what it meant when I did so. I may not share the same goals as you, but what choice do I have but to obey you while I'm here, especially now that I don't have any place to go, but here. If I leave, I'll be killed by either the soul reapers I have detested for so long, or by the people who I betrayed to come here."

"Nicely said, but you haven't betrayed everyone who cares about you. You still have Gin and myself, ah, but you want to kill your brother I almost forgot. If you do that, what will you do then?"

She didn't answer, she didn't have an answer to give, she had no idea what she was going to do after carrying out her goal of killing Gin. She turned to gaze out over the many white sand dunes that reflected the moon's bright glow, it was like looking at some alien land as she looked over the vast nothingness that made up Hueco Muendo. Her eyes widened when icy fingertips were placed on her chin, moving her head so that she was facing Aizen as he stood over her. The predatory look was in his eyes again as he stared at her as if he were waiting to devour his next meal, she tried to step back, but winced when the the hand the fingers belonged to clamped down on to her flesh.

"You could always stay here, I would be more than willing to have you by my side. You could be my queen," Aizen said to her.

"I'm not naïve enough to think that you would allow me to sit by your side as a queen. I would be nothing but your entertainment and I'm not interested in being treated like a brainless whore," Sayomi replied defiantly, she was struggling to keep her breathing normal as her eyes stayed focused on Aizen's hungry brown orbs. The coldness radiating from him, the hate as well as the sheer power was intimidating even for Sayomi who was counted as one of the strongest captains during her time as the Tenth squad's captain.

"And if I told you I had no use for a whore, that I'm looking for something more than that? Like a woman who is capable of bearing me a strong child."

"I wouldn't believe you. You don't strike me as the type of man that cares about others and their feelings, you care for yourself and your goals, and that's it. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer me." She had no idea how it was that she was still on her feet, part of her figured it had to be because of the fingers that were bruising her white skin as Aizen's grip tightened painfully on her jaw. There was a flare in his reiatsu that made Sayomi gasp in surprise as she raised her own to counter the effects and lessen the pressure that was bearing down on her like an ocean.

"I see," he said coldly, releasing her from his hold, the reiatsu fading. "I want a queen, Sayomi and I will have one. You may go."

Swallowing and bobbing her head, she turned and walked to the door, she wanted to run, but didn't want to give the brown eyes watching her the satisfaction of seeing that she was shaken at all. Even once she was out the door, she kept her pace controlled, her steps even, but her eyes stared blankly at the mirror-like surface of the floors. It was one of the times she was grateful to the training she had undergone as a child in a noble household, it helped her maintain an air of detached calm even when she wasn't all that calm.

"What do you want?" She asked harshly, raising her eyes to coldly regard the blue haired Espada that was leaning against the wall, his head resting on the hard surface as he stared at the opposite wall, hands shoved in his pockets and one leg raised so that one foot was casually leaning against the wall.

Grimmjow's blue eyes cornered over to her briefly before he pushed himself away from the wall and began to walk away from her without a word. Not knowing what else to do and since she was headed in the same direction, Sayomi fell into step a few paces behind him. When they walked out of the hall and into one of the large rooms that branched off into different areas of Los Noches, Sayomi stifled a gasp and her eyes widened. In the long rectangular room that was surrounded by hallways and stairwells, were several of the Espada members and their Fraccion, all of them had their eyes on her, watching her hungrily as she walked behind Grimmjow. It seemed her failure was already known and they must have sensed her reiatsu flare in response to Aizen's attempt to subdue her.

She could barely help sighing in relief when they walked through the hall that led to Sayomi's room, but her relief was short lived. There was a loud screech as Sayomi dropped into a crouch, partially unsheathing Fuyukaze from his place on her back.

"It's not very nice to attack people without warning, and from behind no less," Sayomi said as she turned to look at her attacker. "Is there something that you'd like to say, Nnoitra?" She stood up, the blade of Fuyukaze scraping against the curved blade of Nnoitra's strange weapon that was two crescent shaped blades that were fused together and attached to a staff like pole. She was standing in between the curve of the outer blade, her eyes were focused on Nnoitra's right eye, his left was covered by an eye patch.

"Yeah, I got something to say," the tall, thin black haired man chortled. "I don't like women who think they can do as they please, I should teach ya a lesson in obedience."

"Do you think you could?" Sayomi asked darkly, fully drawing Fuyukaze and pushing the man away from her.

"I am the strongest Espada," he yelled. "You could never touch me."

"Is that so," Sayomi replied, her face hardened and her eyes went blank, hiding whatever thoughts that were playing through her mind. "I'm afraid that you're wrong, it's you who will never touch me."

Nnoitra's face twisted angrily. "Tch. A little girl like you couldn't even scratch me."

"I've already proven you wrong."

Grimmjow's eyes widened, as did Nnoitra's and almost every other Arrancar's. None of them had been able to track her movements, but she was no longer standing behind Grimmjow, she was just behind Nnoitra, her back to his as a cut bloomed on the exposed portion of his chest, blood spurting into the air and raining down on the marble floor.

"You little b-"

"Now, now what's with the commotion, hmm?"

All eyes shifted to see the grinning Gin walking through one of the hallways, his arms in folded in front of him as he walked.

"I was showing Nnoitra that women are not to be underestimated, especially me," Sayomi replied, sheathing Fuyukaze and turning around to walk back to where Grimmjow stood. "The next time he attacks me...I'll kill him."

"Can't say I blame ya, he's a bit too forward, ain't he? He should learn some manners before Aizen-sama finds out he has none," Gin said, grinning at Nnoitra.

"Tch," was the only reply that was given before Nnoitra stalked off, many of the other Espada and their Fraccion beginning to leave as well.

"I was hopin' to have a word with ya li'l sis, can ya spare a few minutes for your older brother?" Gin inquired.

Sayomi's eye twitched, but she nodded stiffly. "Of course."

"Good," he replied cheerfully. "Sorry to be stealin' her from ya Grimmjow, but I'll give her back. I promise."

"Keep her as long as ya want, she's damn frustrating," Grimmjow mumbled.

"She can be a bit stubborn, it's part of her charm," Gin smiled and ruffled Sayomi's hair.

The statement made Sayomi jolt in surprise, it brought back a lot of memories of her childhood, so much so that she scowled and swatted the hand away from her head. Smoothing her hair and spinning around with her hands on her hips, she glared at her brother. "I am not stubborn!" She snapped childishly.

She received a chuckle in reply and another pat to the head, much to her displeasure. "Come along Sayomi, we'll have tea and play with the hallways."

Growling, she stomped off after Gin. "Stop treating me like a kid!" She shouted at him.

"But ya are a kid."

"I am not!"

"You'll always be my kid sister, so you're just gonna have ta deal with it."

"No way! I'm an adult, adult, dammit!"

"Could've fooled me," Gin muttered.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Well, that is why you came here, isn't it?" Gin asked, turning to face her, his grin dropping from his face. "To kill your big bro?"

Sayomi stopped abruptly, staring in shock up at the taller man. He seemed sad, but she didn't buy it. "Yes, that's why I came here. To kill you for betraying me, for trying to kill me and the eight others whose lives you helped to ruin," she answered, no trace of emotion in her voice as she spoke.

Gin sighed and scratched at his head as he frowned. "To think ya used to be such a cute kid, I'd 'ave done anythin' to protect you, my baby sister that had no one but me. I didn' want to kill you, but I didn't want you to die by the hands of someone who didn't care about you. Will you at least hear me out before you kill me? I'd like to tell you what really happened. "

"Why, so you can lie to me? I don't want to hear your lies, excuses any of it, you betrayed me! You tried to kill me, your own sister, you tried to kill your own baby sister, Gin! So much for trying to protect me and always be there for me, you liar," she shouted, shaking with rage, her chest heaving as she clenched her fists at her sides. She was surprised by her own outburst and even more surprised when she realized that there was something warm trailing down her face. Wiping a hand over her cheek, she stared in stunned silence at the wetness she found there.

"I've never lied to you, Sayomi, not even when you were a kid. I always told you the truth, no matter how ugly it was. Come on, tea's gettin' cold," Gin told her, turning around and waving for her to follow. "We have some catchin' up to do."

She followed after him for lack of any other ideas, her mind was reeling at the moment and she wanted to believe what he said so badly that it hurt. It was unexpected, for so long she had lived hating him, or at least she thought so, but now she wasn't so sure if it was hate or just resentment for having had to feel the sadness and loneliness of being betrayed by your own flesh and blood. Part of her wanted to understand, to be able to know the truth about what had happened and that part of her hoped that the reasons were enough to overpower the hate that she still harbored for her brother. She didn't want to kill him, she loved him, she wanted her brother back, as foolish as the thought was.

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Please review!


	20. Chapter 20 Sacrifices

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet or not, but the ages of some of the characters aren't canon. Gin is a few years older, Matsumoto, and Byakuya are as well. Not by much just like four or five years.

Also, Gin is a bit out of character in this chapter, ok a lot out of character, but I'm hoping it's believable still. If not, I'm sorry and beg your forgiveness!

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**Chapter 20**

**Sacrifices**

People are cruel. There isn't a single person who can claim that this is a lie, even those who have experienced nothing but kindness. There are some who would say that the two emotions, cruelty and kindness, are the same, those are the ones who have black hearts that are sheathed in ice. The ones who justify their cruel actions by saying they were only trying to be kind and do the right thing. The fact that they are doing the right thing for only themselves by selfishly making others pay for their sins, doesn't bother them. In this corner of the world, you either kill or be killed and that's really all there is to it.

Anyone who witnessed the young woman with the short, dirt caked light blond hair and bloodshot blue eyes tugging a silver haired boy forcefully by the elbow and practically dragging a tiny white haired girl by her little dirt covered hand as she sobbed and tried to break free of the painful grasp on her hand, would say that the woman was doing the right thing. That is to say anyone in this decaying town would have thought so, anyone who still had any fraction of a heart left in their bodies, wouldn't agree.

The young boy, no more than ten years old, was struggling fiercely against the woman's grasp, his squinted eyes on the sobbing little girl as she was jostled carelessly, her tiny feet barely able to keep up with the pace that she was being dragged along at. She looked to be about four years old, she was small for her age though and much too skinny. Her sobs echoed through the dark streets and the alleys that were the hiding place of all of the town's scum.

"Lemme go," the young boy demanded, attempting to tug his thin arm from the woman's hold and go to the sobbing girl, his baby sister.

"Shut up," the woman snapped frantically, her eyes shifting from side to side, searching the deep shadows that covered the disease ridden streets for any sign of life. She knew that it was useless, the people here had long since learned to make the shadows of night their friends, they wouldn't be seen unless they wanted to be seen. Her dirt covered nails dug into the boy's arm, making him wince, but not give up his struggles.

It was late, the only light was the light given off by the sliver of the perfect white moon that hung suspended in the black night sky, a reminder to those in this dilapidated and rotting town that they could only gaze upon the surface of perfection, but they would never attain it. Perfection didn't exist in this far away and forgotten corner of the world, the only thing that existed here was the need to survive another day by any means possible. _Any_ means possible, even the unthinkable was acceptable here.

They had been walking through the dust covered town and its many winding streets for what felt hours. The little girl's feet were cut and bruised from the many times she had stumbled as she was pulled like a lifeless doll through the night. The boy wasn't faring much better, his feet were covered in dirt and cuts, but he was still able to walk and keep up with the woman who kept looking around her in paranoia. He may not be the smartest, but he knew that her paranoia was a sign of her guilt over what she was doing.

Several yards ahead of them the darkness grew from a narrow street opening to a large black hole that didn't seem to ever end as it stretched into nothingness. The closer they got to the edge of the town where the buildings stopped, the larger the blackness before them grew, until it all but devoured them.

The two children were hauled into the darkness, their bare feet no longer on the over used and flat earth that made up the streets of the town, but instead sinking into the soft, mushy dirt that led into the forest that flanked the south side of it. It was the forest that haunted the dreams of the children who lived here for it was rumored that all that entered that forest never came back and that on some nights, if you listened hard, you could hear the howling of the hungry hollows that took refuge in the dense tree infested woodland.

By now, the little girl was struggling to stay on her feet, her sobs had quieted, but only because she was trying so hard to not trip and fall over the roots and vines that littered the ground as they entered the forest's boundaries. The little light given off by the moon wasn't enough to light their way, it couldn't penetrate the thick canopy of untamed leaves and branches that towered above them. It was utterly silent in the forest, as if the leaves and vines were smothering all sounds, even the sounds of their feet as they stepped on dead leaves and twigs.

There was a sharp scream that penetrated the quiet as the white haired toddler was pulled savagely forward and thrown to the ground harshly, her rag of a yukata tearing when her fragile body rolled over the ground and collided with the dead stump of a tree.

"Sayomi!" The little boy shouted, the lilt of an accent barely noticeable as he tried to break free of the grasp that held him firm. "Lemme go! Sayomi!" He shouted, he wasn't getting any response and he couldn't see the girl in the dark.

"You freaks aren't welcome," the woman snapped, roughly pulling the boy up to face her. "Don't ever come back here," she yelled before pushing the boy into the dirt and turning to run back in the direction she had come.

"G..Gin," a small voice called quietly, shaking with fear and most likely the hunger that made them outcasts and freaks.

"Where are ya, Sayomi," the boy, Gin, asked into the darkness. He pushed himself off the ground, looking around with a frown as he tried to pinpoint where the hushed sobs of his little sister were coming from.

He made his way towards the sounds of her sobs and sniffles, occasionally he could hear her mumble his name between her sobs. The ground here was uneven, pitted and strewn with tree branches, and other obstacles that Gin didn't want to think too hard about. When he finally found the little girl, huddled against a tree, crying into her knees, he sat beside her and hugged her, petting her matted white hair soothingly and shushing her softly.

"I'll protect you, no one will hurt you again, I promise, ok?"

After about ten minutes the little girl drifted off to sleep, curled up against her big brother who stayed awake, listening to the forest come back to life. Gin scooted closer to Sayomi, protectively wrapping his arms around her as the sounds of animals scurrying around the forest floor filled his ears, there was the occasional growl and glint of red eyes, but the animals seemed to be more curious than anything to his relief.

* * *

"Is there something wrong with us, Gin? Is that why mama didn't want us anymore?" The little Sayomi asked, she was walking besides Gin, her dirty hands clenched at her sides as she kept her light blue eyes on the ground in front of her.

"There's nothing wrong with ya, we're just different and some people don't like things that are different," Gin answered, patting Sayomi's dingy white hair and grinning at her.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"You're always smiling and your eyes are closed silly, how can you see?" Sayomi asked as she smiled toothily up at him.

"I smile 'cause I'm happy and I can see just fine, so don't ya worry your little head about it."

Sayomi made a face and stuck her tongue out. "I'm not little, I'm six now."

"You're still just a brat that barely comes up to my elbow, I call that little," Gin teased.

Sniffing indignantly, Sayomi turned away to glare at the path ahead of them. She heard Gin chuckle at her in amusement, but she ignored him and continued to trek silently beside him. It had been over two years since they had been left to fend for themselves in the dark of the forest and it had been almost two days since they had eaten anything. Their last meal consisted of some fruit that Gin had found and nothing more. They had been walking for days, trying to find another town so that they could steal some food and water from the people who didn't need it to live like they did.

"We have spirit energy, right?" Sayomi asked.

"Yup, we're special and that's why we need to eat, unlike most of the people in the Rukongai."

"I heard that people with spirit energy become Soul Reapers, is that true?"

"Some of 'em," Gin replied.

"So are we gonna be Soul Reapers?"

Gin shrugged. "Maybe, but you gotta get bigger first. You're too short, kid." He said, ruffling her hair and chuckling at the disgruntled growl he got from Sayomi as she swatted his hand away from her and crossed her arms over her chest.

For a six year old that was raised in one of the poorest districts and then forced to live in whatever hole she could find, Sayomi was quite smart and well mannered, she had her brother to thank for that. With nothing much to do in the poorer districts, Gin spent much of his time taking care of the little girl and teaching her how to speak, she could even read and write a little. It was a skill that not many possessed in their home town, but Gin had picked up the basics from a little old lady who had begun to teach him in her spare time before she had past away.

"Hey, Sayomi. Stop ignorin' me, there's a town up ahead," Gin nudged the brooding Sayomi with his elbow, but she only grumbled something unintelligible and wouldn't look at him. "Alright fine, I'm sorry for callin' ya short, even if it's true. Don't glare at me, you're kinda scary when you're mad," he teased, hunching down in front of her.

Over the years that they had been living in the streets and woods of the Rukongai, Gin had gotten taller and his hair had gotten longer, hanging around his face in wispy silver strands. He looked older, he was no longer the child who had been abandoned in the forest, he didn't look to be over thirteen, but the way he held himself was like an adult. Sayomi had gotten a few inches taller, but she was still very much a child, with her still somewhat round face and her shoulder length white hair that framed her face, making her look like a toy doll.

"Come on, it looks like there's a river or somethin' too and you could use a bath," Gin said, holding his hand out to Sayomi who grudgingly took it and let herself be led off the dirt path they were on and on to the grass and into the forest to the right.

They walked parallel to the village until they came upon a shallow, but wide river. The water was bubbling and gurgling as it slid over the rocks and on its course through the trees. There was a small alcove that had been created by a fallen tree and several large rocks, Gin led Sayomi towards the hiding place and crouched in front of her again, putting his hands on her arms and looking up at her with a grin.

"You stay here an' clean up, I'll go get us some food, alright?"

Sayomi frowned, looking down the rivers bends in the direction of the town. "Why can't I go? You always leave me behind."

"Now what kind of brother would I be if I let my cute li'l sis steal stuff? And what if somethin' happened, I promised to take care of you, didn't I?"

She nodded.

"And I'm gonna, so you stay here and take a bath like the good girl you are and I'll be back in a li'l while, k?"

"Ok," Sayomi sighed. "Be careful."

"Of course, I'll be back soon. If anyone comes near ya, what do you do?" Gin asked.

"Kick 'em in the shins and run away and hide," Sayomi smirked.

Gin sighed and shook his head. "How 'bout just runnin' away?"

"Fine, but that's no fun," she pouted.

"You're a handful kid, how 'bout we save the fun for when you can actually reach people's shins, until then just run and hide."

"Why do you always pick on me?! It's not very nice!"

"But you make such a cute face when you're mad," he replied, standing and putting a hand on her head. "I'm gonna go now, if I'm not back before dark hide in one of the trees and stay outta sight until I come for ya."

"Alright," Sayomi agreed unenthusiastically as she watched her big brother walk away like she had so many times before.

In the years that had past, he had only let her accompany him into the towns they came across a handful of times. It bothered her, but she knew she would probably only get in the way if she tried to help him steal the things they needed. She didn't know how he did it, but he always came back with enough food to last them several days and he had also managed to get a few kimonos for the both of them as they grew. There had been times he would come back scratched up and dirty, covered in bruises, but he always refused to tell her what had happened, it had been a long time since he came back with any signs of having been in any sort of scuffle though. She knew people found her brother to be creepy because of the odd, fox like grin he always wore and the way he squinted his eyes, but Sayomi knew better, he was kind and gentle and would never hurt anyone.

Little did she know that as she bathed in the chilly water of the river that her kind brother was washing a sticky red substance from his hands under a spigot in a dark alleyway. There were two people behind him, splayed out on the dirty, trash covered alley, one was breathing shallowly, his breaths raspy while the other wasn't moving. It was hard to tell in the dark shadows that cloaked the alley what exactly had happened, but there was a glint of steel beside Gin as he shut off the water and shook his hands off.

"Hmm, this was quite useful," he observed, picking up the short sword beside him and examining the sharp blade.

Walking over to the body of the larger man, he kicked the man onto his side. He took the black sheath that was strapped to the man's side and sheathed the weapon, sticking into the his obi before stealing their money and the few valuables they had on them.

Several minutes later, Gin walked out of the alley with a grin on his face and headed toward the market district. The bloody scene in the alley would be discovered several hours after he had already left and several more similar scenes would pop up every few weeks or so in other towns after that.

* * *

"You killed those men?" Sayomi asked, she was sitting in a white chair with a round base and tall back in a small surveillance room.

"I did what I had to to take care of you and protect you, like I promised," Gin answered. "That wasn't the first, or last time I did somethin' like that."

"I don't understand, why tell me this now?"

"You deserve ta know that I was a monster long before you thought of me as one. It was the only way to ensure our survival."

Sayomi hung her head, staring at the cold tea that she was holding in her lap. "I didn't think you were a monster, I wasn't stupid, I had an idea of what you were doing. I heard the rumors as we passed through some of the towns, about the deaths of people in the previous towns we had passed through. I just chose to ignore them because you were the only one who was there for me and I knew you weren't a murderer. We were desperate and we had to survive in a place where you either killed or were killed, you couldn't be weak in that part of the Rukongai."

"When you disappeared, I abandoned Rangiku and searched for you for, but I never found you. I found Rangiku again several years later and we decided to join the Academy, I figured if I was a Soul Reaper then I would be able to better protect you when I found you."

"By then, didn't you think I was dead?"

He shook his head and smirked. "Nope, you're too stubborn, I knew you were out there somewhere."

"You joined the Gotei 13 a few years after I did. You were considered a genius, graduating in one year, but you were different from how I remembered you when I saw you again. There was always something that was a bit scary about you, but you were almost unrecognizable you were so cold. You weren't and still aren't the brother who raised me and cared for me."

"You're right, I'm not. It wasn't easy being alone, I didn't handle it too well. We should just leave it at that though, it's not a very pretty story."

"You promised to protect me, so why did you try to kill me that night?" Sayomi asked, looking up to see his frown.

"At the time there was no way to reverse the damage done by the pathogen Aizen had created, you were going to become a hollow and you were going to hurt people ya cared about. If it wasn't me, then it would have been some faceless assassin, I didn't want someone who didn't know you or care about you to end your life. They wouldn't have cared, or felt guilty for-"

"And you would have felt guilty?" She cut in.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you're my kid sister and I love ya no matter what," he grinned.

"Why did you join Aizen and choose to betray Soul Society?"

"You're pretty straight-forward, aren't ya?" He sighed, scratching at the top of his head.

"I want to understand why the brother I love would try to kill his own sister and betray his home. I want to know what would make a kind big brother, a killer," Sayomi replied evenly.

"Someone as innocent as you wouldn' understand the reasons. I was never the person you thought I was. I couldn' be if I wanted to protectch'ya in that world and let ya live in your own li'l world that was free of the hurt and hate that was the real world."

"You're wrong," Sayomi countered defiantly. "I can understand, to a degree anyway. I am well aware of what it's like to want to protect someone and I would do anything to protect the people important to me. But that doesn't answer my question about why you would join with Aizen."

"Why wouldn't I?" Gin answered. "He accepted me for what I was and gave me a place to fit in and belong."

"Those experiments that Aizen conducted, you knew all about them, didn't you?"

"Yup, I knew everything."

"And knowing all of that, you still helped him?"

"I did. You've met Aizen, Sayomi, the real one. Do ya think I had much of a choice?" Gin asked.

"You've always had a choice, Gin, you just chose to be a traitor," Sayomi replied tiredly.

"I never meant for you to get involved in any of this. I was hoping to leave you out of it and letch'ya live your life. You were happy and I was happy for you."

"If I hadn't gotten involved that night, what would have happened when you betrayed Soul Society? You would still have betrayed me, you just wouldn't have tried to kill me. In the end, you still would have turned your back on me."

"I never expected to find you in the Gotei 13 as a member of a noble house or seated officer. It sort of changed things, but I had already made my choice and all I could do was try and protect ya. I had planned on findin' ya and helpin' ya join the Gotei 13, Aizen had even agreed to help me find you," he said.

"You thought I would join you?" Sayomi asked incredulously.

"It was possible. You always did as you were told and you never wanted to disappoint me," Gin answered.

"True. I suppose if things had been different there is a good chance that I would have followed you, had you found me. I wasn't attached to Soul Society or the people in it until I met the Himura's and they so easily accepted me. Acceptance is a very powerful thing it would seem, isn't it," she sighed, setting the cold tea aside and looking at the monitors that displayed much of Los Noches.

"It would seem so," Gin agreed.

"Um, this is off the subject, but...you can't see the _inside_ of the rooms...Can you?" She asked curiously, smiling nervously.

Gin chuckled, reached forward and played with a few buttons. One of the screens went blank before a scene flickered to life on its surface.

Sayomi turned bright red as she realized that the picture was of the interior of Grimmjow's room and she could see him asleep on his bed before she walked in to the room and pulled the sheets off of him. "Oh you've gotta be kiddin' me," she groaned.

"Don't worry, I won't tell," Gin said, grinning widely as he paused the playback.

"Did you have to stop it there?" Sayomi whined as she looked at herself being pinned down by Grimmjow.

"Oh, sorry, here, this better," he asked, pressing a button and making the screen blank.

"Much."

"So what now, kid sis?"

Sayomi sighed. "Hell if I know... What?" She asked when she caught his frown.

"Ya never used ta talk that, it's not very lady like, I don't like it."

She tweaked a brow at him. "And you expect me to care?"

"I'm your big brother, you're supposed to listen to me."

"Is there something wrong in your head? Wait, never mind, bad question," Sayomi said upon seeing the amusement dancing on Gin's face. "I'm actually an adult now, so I don't have to listen to you."

"And I told you that ya are always gonna be a my kid sister, so deal with it," Gin replied.

"No way! You tried to kill me, that gives me the right to not have to listen to you!"

"I said I was sorry."

"No you didn't!"

"Well, I'm sorry Sayomi, I was only trying to keep you from becoming somethin' that you aren't."

"I hate you," she sighed, putting her head in her hands and closing her eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry 'bout that too," Gin said sincerely.

"I've spent all of these years resenting you, but I keep on finding myself forgetting all of my anger and acting like a kid again. You're my brother, Gin, you're all I have left, and I don't want to lose you too," she admitted.

"So ya aren't gonna kill me?"

"No."

"You sound disappointed," he observed wryly.

"Not really, but I betrayed everyone to come here and I don't really know what to do anymore. Aizen wants me to be his queen apparently and-"

Gin frowned, humming under his breath in dissatisfaction. "He said that?" He interrupted.

"Don't you see the bruises?" She tilted her chin up, the pale skin was already bruising in places. "I made the mistake of turning him down."

His frown deepening, Gin turned his face to the monitors thoughtfully.

"So what do I do now?" Sayomi asked.

"...Ya be a good li'l girl and stay out of trouble."

"Uh, ok. What about Aizen, somehow I don't think he's too happy with me at the moment."

"Let me worry 'bout that," Gin replied, his fox like grin back in place.

It was Sayomi's turn to frown. She had no idea what to do, she had come to Hueco Muendo fully intending to kill her own brother, but the longer she was around him, the more she remembered their childhood and how he had always kept his promise to protect her and take care of her. The more she remembered the past, the harder it was to convince herself that she hated the man who was currently manipulating the hallways and chuckling as a very disgruntled Arrancar she had never seen before kept running into dead ends every time she turned around.

With a sigh, she stood from her seat, Gin turned to look at her curiously and she managed a weak smile that faded as her head dropped, weighed down by the thoughts that were plaguing her mind.

"I'm kind of tired, I'm going to go and get some rest. I'll see you later," she said, not waiting for a response as she walked out of the room.

She had gotten herself into something that she had no idea how to handle. The need to kill her brother and take her revenge was no longer her priority, she no longer had the resolve to murder her own flesh and blood. There was nothing for her to go back to in the living world and that was if she could even escape Hueco Muendo with her life. It was highly unlikely that Aizen would let here leave if she asked to, and even less likely that she would have some place to go if he did or she managed to get away on her own. She was stuck in a corner with very few options and if she valued her life at all she would have to either kill Aizen or fight to put him on a throne that he didn't deserve to even look upon. The fact that he desired her and didn't exactly take no for an answer, didn't make her feel much more confident about anything. Even though Gin had said he would take care of it, she didn't want to rely on him, she may not want to kill him, but she sure as hell didn't trust him.

It was up to her to come up with a solution to her problems and all the possibilities took her in directions she didn't really want to go. There wasn't much she could control here where Aizen reigned and controlled everything and everyone. It had surprised her how many of the Arrancar and other hollows looked up to and respected Aizen. He had no fear and he was confident that his dreams would come to fruition, that outlook was highly valued by the inhabitants of this realm. Beings who were born from fear and despair could easily respect someone who didn't possess those qualities and never showed weakness.

That night she was unable to sleep, she couldn't figure out what to do in the position she was in. She wanted to be able to do what she had told Kensei she planned on doing; killing Aizen and ending the war before it could even start. There was going to be a lot of blood shed if she didn't and she didn't want to see that happen.

'I'm a traitor to Soul Society, I'm a traitor to everyone in the living world so I guess all I can do is make myself useful here and wait for an opportunity to present itself,' she thought morosely.

'_He doesn't trust you, do you think he will really let his guard down around you_,' Fuyukaze asked.

Sayomi sighed tiredly, closing her eyes. 'He's a man Fuyukaze, a man that wants me. I can use that to my advantage.'

'_You know what that means, don't you_?'

'I'm the one who suggested it, of course I know what that means, Fuyu. I'm not happy with the idea, but I can't do nothing.'

'_But to do that, Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze said, his voice laced with uneasy and sadness.

'It doesn't matter Fuyukaze, I'll do what I need to do,' Sayomi replied.

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Please review!


	21. Chapter 21 Points of View

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach...thanks for reminding me...-sigh-

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**Chapter 21**

**Points of View**

The banging of wood against the tile of the floor drew the nine captains' attention to the front of the long boringly white meeting hall. It was late evening in the Soul Society and there had been no reason given for the late emergency meeting that had been called.

"I believe that you are all curious as to why you have been called here on such short notice," the old Head Captain Yamamoto began. He was hunched over his wooden staff, both hands resting on the knobby end in front of him as his hooded eyes looked over the two rows of captains before him. "As I'm sure you are aware there was an attack on Karakura Town earlier today. The report was that four Arrancar appeared in the skies above the city, three were merely distractions for the one female amongst them to try and get information from Kisuke Urahara, who was exiled a century ago, but has been helping us prepare for the upcoming war with Aizen. She failed in her mission and didn't get the information that Aizen had ordered her to retrieve."

"Then why the hell are we here," Captain Zaraki Kenpachi of the Eleventh division grumbled. He was a large man with spiky hair and a manic grin on his scarred face.

"The reason for you being here is simple, the woman is a former captain of the Gotei 13. Her identity was confirmed by Urahara as well as lieutenant Matsumoto who served under her before her disappearance a century ago," Yamamoto continued in his gravelly voice.

"You can't mean..." The white haired Captain Juushiro Ukitake of the Thirteenth division began, his eyes flickering to the stoic, silent captain of the Sixth division, Byakuya Kuchiki. "She's alive?"

"Who the hell are ya talkin' about?" Captain Zaraki asked gruffly.

Byakuya answered the question, his voice was cold, distant as he spoke. "The adopted daughter of the last head of the noble Himura clan, their only child. She became the captain of the Tenth division after the death of her father, Hiroshi Himura. Sayomi Himura is how she was known to the entirety of the Gotei 13, her real name is Sayomi Ichimaru."

"That is correct," Yamamoto confirmed. "Sayomi Himura who disappeared over a hundred years ago as well as eight others, has reappeared and it would seem that she is not an ally. It seems that she has taken sides with her brother and Aizen. The situation needs to be dealt with quickly. There were orders issued by Central 46 after the disappearances... execution orders for each person who vanished that night."

Even the stoic Kuchiki couldn't entirely hide his surprise at the statement, his eyes widened minutely for a brief second before he quickly returned himself to his usual cold demeanor. The reasons for the disappearances of the captains and lieutenants that had gone missing over a century ago were unknown to all that stood in the room. As far as they had known they were all dead, so it was a bit of a shock to hear that that wasn't the case and that there were orders to kill the nine ex-members of the Gotei 13.

"Is there any reason to indicate why the order to kill them was given?" Captain Ukitake asked.

"Yeah, my previous lieutenant was one of the ones who disappeared, I'm quite curious myself," captain Kyoraku asked lazily as he adjusted the straw hat on his head.

Captain Yamamoto didn't seem too pleased with the inquires from the two men, not that he hadn't expected someone to ask questions, he just didn't want to discuss the topic. Sighing, the elderly captain said something that would leave everyone completely speechless. "Due to the vile acts of Sosuke Aizen during his time as a member of the thirteen court guard squads, specifically his experiments with hollowfication, they are to be dealt with as hollows."

Captain Kyoraku stopped chewing on the piece of grass that was stuck between his lips as he stared at Yamamoto. "You can't be saying that they became hollows old man Yama."

"That is exactly what I'm saying, Shunsui, they have gained the unstable powers of hollows. They are similar to the Arrancar that Aizen has created, except they were originally Soul Reapers and not hollows."

"Do we know if the other eight are alive?" The short, but fierce captain Soi Fon asked, her arms folded over her chest and her face blank.

"No, there is no information about the other eight," Yamamoto answered.

"It doesn't seem fair, does it," Ukitake said with a sigh. "To kill them for something that they had no control over."

"They should not exist, they are to be dealt with as hollows as per the orders of the Central 46. If that is not enough, Himura will be dealt with as a traitor. It would be preferred that she is brought in alive for questioning, but the others, if they are alive, have separated from Soul Society and regardless of what they are, are to be dealt with as traitors and deserters," Yamamoto replied.

Captain Ukitake sighed in disappointment, Kyoraku frowned, but no one else questioned the orders. The room was silent, no one knew what to say. It was quite a shock to learn that someone they had all believed to be dead was very much alive and a traitor. Several sets of eyes glanced at the stony captain Kuchiki who looked unperturbed by any of the news.

"Knowing that Himura is helping Aizen, it would be best to station another captain and lieutenant aside from Hitsugaya and his lieutenant in Karakura. With that being said, I would-"

Captain Kuchiki cleared his throat. "I would like to volunteer myself and my lieutenant."

There were several gasps from the people who knew of the Kuchiki's relationship to Sayomi. Captain Yamamoto raised a heavy brow as he regarded the black haired noble thoughtfully.

"Fine, you may go. You'll leave immediately. This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

"We're really going to Karakura Town to look for that woman?" A slightly flustered Renji asked his unusually blank captain.

"Must I repeat myself, Renji?" Byakuya asked coldly, keeping his eyes focused on the path ahead of him as he led the way toward the Senkai gate they would be using to enter Karakura.

"Uh, no," Renji spluttered out, scratching at his head and sighing. It may have only been a matter of months since he had become the nobleman's lieutenant, but he knew when to leave the man alone. Now was one of those times.

It wasn't hard to see that Byakuya was in a foul mood, the little extra reiatsu that was seeping from the usually calm and collected man was enough to tell him that. So was the steely glint in eyes, it was too much like the look he had seen in his eyes during the ordeal with Rukia's execution. Renji didn't know much about the situation, but he knew they were to bring the woman that had surprised him with her lightening quick reflexes and cat like movements when he and his captain had retrieved Rukia from the living world, was to be captured and taken back to Soul Society to be dealt with as a traitor. He also knew the woman had been engaged to the Kuchiki a long time ago, and though it had been an arranged marriage, they had apparently been quite close.

He also knew that she had disappeared with several others over a hundred years before and had been considered dead. That was about it though. He had no idea why she was considered a traitor or what she had done to earn herself a death sentence from the Central 46 and the way captain Kuchiki was acting made him curious.

* * *

"Dammit! How long Urahara!?" A red faced Ichigo shouted.

He was sitting at Kisuke's round table, Uryu and Chad were there as well. The other two boys sat silently as Ichigo fumed at Kisuke.

Kisuke sighed, lifting his green and white hat from his head to scratch at the back of it. "Sayomi destroyed the only suitable location before she left. I've been rebuilding it since then, but-"

"But what?! How long will it take to get a doorway or whatever ready to go to Hueco Muendo? Orihime's being held prisoner, Sayomi's a traitor and-"

"Now, now," Kisuke cut in. "Sayomi had her reasons, it's not fair to judge her without knowing them."

"I don't care what her reasons were, she's helping them," Ichigo yelled. "She betrayed us."

"Do you have to yell," Uryu asked pointedly after wincing several times because of Ichigo's raised voice.

"Yes!" Ichigo shouted at the black haired Quincy, who sighed and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "You were friends with Sayomi, Ishida, don't-"

"You're wrong," Uryu cut in calmly. "I am still friends with Sayomi."

"But-"

"I don't know her reasons for doing what she did, but you didn't know her as well as I did. I find it hard to believe that she betrayed anyone, she's just not that type of person," Uryu continued.

"I can't believe you're saying that! She's helping the bad guys!" Ichigo cried in exasperation.

"Geez, you're loud. How 'bout turning the volume down a little, eh? "

Ichigo blinked in surprise as he looked over to the door that led into the little dining room. Standing in the doorway was Shinji, grinning at the four people in the room as he waved at them.

"Shinji? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, confused by the blond's presence.

"I'm here to tell ya to trust Sayomi," he replied seriously.

"But-"

"Shuddup, Ichigo," Shinji groaned before the orange haired teen could go off on another rant. "You don't know her. You're not the only one to be really pissed off at her, but she's got the same goals as everyone here. She's just goin' about things a little differently is all."

"What do you mean the same goals as us? And weren't you in our class for a few days, so how do you know Sayomi?" Uryu asked.

"I was a Soul Reaper, but that was a long time ago. And I meant just what I said, her goals, are the same as ours, but she wanted to do things on her own, and in her own way."

"What does she plan on doing exactly?" Ichigo asked.

Kisuke and Shinji shared a quick glance, Shinji sighed and looked back to Ichigo. "She plans on killin' her big brother, you've met him, Gin Ichimaru."

"The fox face?" Ichigo inquired curiously.

"That'd be him," Shinji nodded. "And from what Kensei said, it's likely she's going to try to go after Aizen too."

"On her own?" Uryu asked.

Shinji nodded again, frowning this time. "Yeah, on her own."

"That idiot!" Ichigo snapped loudly, everyone's heads turned to face the teen again. He didn't look angry anymore, now he just looked upset and more worried. "Why didn't she just say so? Why didn't she ask for help?"

"Because she would have gotten it," Shinji answered.

* * *

'One more sigh and I'm gonna beat his ass,' Hiyori thought in annoyance as she cast a glance over to Kensei who was sitting on the couch.

He was glaring at everyone and everything that he could, he had been ever since his brief talk with Sayomi the week before. She had now been gone for two weeks and no one had seen her or any other Arrancar since the failed attack on Urahara. Kensei had been in a bad mood since then, but it was also obvious that he was getting worried, it was a change from the pissed off and angry jerk he had been during the first week. At least he wasn't blowing the training ground to bits anymore though.

'For an over sized ape, he sure can be moody,' Hiyori thought as she clenched her jaw when Kensei took a short breath.

There was a screech as Hiyori stood from the much used chair she was in before lifting it off the ground and hurling it at Kensei's head.

"What the hell!?!" Kensei yelled as he ducked and the chair crashed into the wall by the television. When he turned, he saw a very angry Hiyori with her fists clenched at her sides and her eyes narrowed.

"One more time Kensei, I dare ya to sigh one more damn time!" Hiyori shouted, thrusting a finger threateningly in his direction.

Everyone was blinking at the angry blond, no one had dared to talk to Kensei, even saying hello usually earned them a glare and a snappy reply. Even Kensei was caught a little off guard by the outburst even though such things weren't rare when it came to Hiyori.

"We're all pissed off Kensei, but if you sigh one more time I'm gonna kill you!" Hiyori snapped.

"Mind your own business, Hiyori," Kensei replied.

"No! I don't care what you think, but I'm happy that the stupid princess is gone. She wasn't good enough for you, she only cared about herself and no one else. She didn't care about you or any of us for that matter," Hiyori stated brazenly.

"Shut up, Hiyori," Kensei grunted.

"She betrayed us and she is doing what that jerk face Aizen is telling her to. She never planned on killing her stupid brother, she just used that as her excuse so that when she left we would think she was really the little princess she made herself out to be. The bitch is probably screwin' around with Aizen and havin-"

"Shut the hell up," Kensei shouted angrily. "You don't know a damn thing about Sayomi!"

"I know she left and that's all I need to know. She betrayed us, she betrayed you and she probably doesn't even give a damn how you feel."

"Be quiet, Hiyori," Shinji spoke up from where he sat against one of the walls. "You've always hated Sayomi, but there are a few of us who don't think she's betrayed us so keep your opinions to yourself."

"You say that even though Kensei, the one who knows her best, said she betrayed us?" Hiyori asked angrily.

"Yeah, I do. Kensei is hurt and upset, it's understandable, but what do you think now, Kensei?" Shinji asked.

Kensei grunted. "That you're a fool."

"Hm. Is that so," Shinji mused thoughtfully. "You know 'er the best, but you have the least amount of faith in her. How sad, she always wanted your approval, but you've never given it to her, have you?"

The way Kensei started was almost as if he had been slapped, he looked at Shinji with wide eyes, but said nothing.

"You were the first person to treat her as a normal Soul Reaper and not the daughter of one of the noble houses. She has always respected you for that and even you can't deny that she always worked her butt off to try and earn your approval. It usually led to you two fighting or arguin' because you bein' you would act as if she hadn't done anything special. She's special though ain't she, Kensei? Not only did she graduate the Academy in two years, she was a seated member upon entry into the Ninth division and after less than fifteen years, she was your lieutenant. It should have been sooner than that, she was always strong and quickly surpassed your previous lieutenant, but you wouldn't promote her. Why is that?" Shinji asked.

"She wasn't ready yet," he answered shortly.

"Ya sure it wasn't because you didn't want her gettin' hurt? Ever since you first met Sayomi you've felt something for her, but you never told her and you never praised her either."

"Why should I have praised her?" Kensei snapped. "She would have wanted to leave and find a division she could move up in quicker. I was always aware of how strong she was, she's stronger than me now for crying out loud." He growled angrily at having divulged his feelings, his hands fisting at his sides as he turned his head away.

"And you're the one who made that so, ya don't think she would forget that, do ya? Sayomi doesn't forget easily, but she does try and do whatever you ask her to. It used to piss the Kuchiki brat off, I gotta kick outta that," Shinji chuckled.

"What the hell are you getting at Shinji," Kensei grunted, none too pleased with the sentimental turn of events.

"Nothing really," the blond shrugged. "Just that she knew she wouldn't get your approval on what she was doin'. You always knew that was her goal, but you never stood by her, supported her decision."

"Because she was trying to do it on her own, she's gonna get herself killed."

"You never gave her any reason to think you would be anything but ticked off when she went to kill him. If she would have asked Kensei, would you have gone with her?"

His eyes narrowed at Shinji as if upset for insinuating that he would have betrayed them, but after a moment he sighed and relaxed. Turning away, he headed for the rooms. "Yeah, I would've."

"We all would have," Shinji mumbled.

There were several sighs and nods of agreement from the others in the warehouse. Hiyori just snorted and stomped off, she wasn't willing to admit it, but even she would have been more than happy to help.

* * *

Sayomi had her chin in the palm of her left hand, her elbow was propped up on the white desk she was sitting at as she played with a knob with her right hand. Her blue eyes were watching the screen with amusement and there was a smirk on her face as she pushed the knob up a notch and tapped a button on one of the keyboards.

"An' just what do you think you're doin'?"

Jumping in her seat at the sound of the voice behind her, Sayomi spun around to scowl at her brother. "Thanks for almost giving me a heart attack, Gin, I thought we were past the trying to kill each other thing?" She snapped snottily.

Chuckling as he walked fully into the surveillance room, Gin patted Sayomi on the head. Her face pulled into an annoyed glare as she growled and swatted the hand away from her, patting her hair down once the hand had been removed.

"I'll never get tired of that look, ya look like a kid again," Gin teased happily.

"Maybe I should've just killed you," Sayomi grumbled.

"So who should we play with today?" Gin mused as he took the empty seat besides Sayomi.

"We haven't played with Ulquiorra yet," Sayomi replied, spinning back around to face the monitors.

"Are ya sure you want to play with the emo kid, he can be a little creepy."

"So? I want to see if his face can move."

"Alright then," Gin said, "So how ya doin' lil sis?"

"Fine, why?" Sayomi asked, keeping her attention on the corridor that Ulquiorra would walk into once he left Orihime's room after having her dinner delivered.

"You seem sad and you haven't even been teasin' Grimmy very often, I think he's gettin' worried."

"I'm just distracted. I keep wondering how everyone else is doing, but then I remember I'm trying to forget, so it shouldn't matter."

At first Gin didn't reply, but the silence in the room was ripe with a forlorn sadness. "It gets easier," he finally said.

"I hope you're right," Sayomi sighed. "I don't really feel like playing anymore today, I'm going to bug Grimmjow, let him know I haven't forgotten him."

"Behave," Gin sang as she stood and walked from the room. His grin dropped into a frown as soon as she turned the corner.

"What's the matter Gin? You seem unhappy?" A smooth voice asked from the shadows behind him.

"Not at all," Gin replied with a large grin as he turned in his chair to face the brown haired man behind him.

"Good. She will be mine, I promise to take good care of her," Aizen said with a smile. "There's to be a meeting shortly, I expect to see you there."

"Of course," Gin answered. "Just what do you have planned for her," he sighed after Aizen had gone. "I guess that's a silly question since I already know."

* * *

Please review!


	22. Chapter 22 Trustworthy

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**Trustworthy**

Sayomi wasn't sure exactly what she should do. She knew she needed to start moving before Aizen had a chance to fully trap her there in Hueco Muendo without any other options. The only problem with that was that not two days ago she had stood up to Aizen and had made herself seem more like an enemy than a friend. She had also drawn the wrath of his "followers" in the process. She had managed to stay out of the way of all of them so far, but at the moment she was headed right into the lion's den for a meeting that Aizen had called them all too. She didn't expect it to end well.

Her heeled boots clicked on the mirror like stones and the white coat she had decided to wear over her uniform billowed out behind her slim legs, the blue and silver lace obi she had used to tie the long coat in place around her waist was an unexpected splash of color in the monotonous background of white walls. Her hair was swept off her shoulders into a high ponytail that blew out behind her while she walked, her face a blank mask devoid of emotion.

When she walked into the meeting room to find that she was the last one to arrive, she smiled at Aizen and went to make her way to sit with Grimmjow. Much to the blue haired man's annoyance, Sayomi made herself comfortable on his lap, her back against one of the arms of his chair and her legs crossed and dangling over the other. She grinned at Aizen and her brother, who grinned back at her.

"Now that we're all here, why don't we begin this meeting," Aizen said smoothly, his brown eyes almost immediately shifting over to Sayomi. "I have decided to give Sayomi another chance to try and prove herself to you all since she is very important to me and I want you all to trust her, as I do."

Sayomi lifted a snowy white brow, she was quite curious as to where this meeting was going at that point since she was apparently supposed to be redeeming herself. Aizen knew full well that she could care less about whether the residents of his domain liked her or not, she wasn't there to please any of them and as it was she wasn't there for any reason anymore outside of the fact that she felt she had nowhere else to go and she was grasping on to a hope that she could kill the bastard that was trying to rule the world.

"I'm going to give her one more chance to find out exactly what Kisuke Urahara's orders are and what it is he is doing for the Soul Society in preparation for the coming winter," Aizen informed them all, his eyes on Sayomi the entire time. "She will be accompanied by Ulquiorra and Yammy as well a few others of Ulquiorra's choosing."

Keeping her face blank and her eyes as bored looking as she could, Sayomi asked, "It's likely that there is at least one captain in Karakura and that his sole orders are to capture or kill me, do you really think a few Arrancar will be enough of a distraction?"

"You won't have to worry about that, let Ulquiorra and the others handle anyone that isn't Kisuke, you just need to focus on Urahara," Aizen replied.

Sayomi nodded her understanding, all the while wondering just what the brown haired man was up to now.

"Good," Aizen said, smiling amicably at the long table of his Espada members. "I have no doubt that Sayomi will accomplish her task this time around and after she has proven that she is trustworthy I'd like to have another meeting to discuss the future of Los Noches. The meeting is dismissed."

As the Espada began to clear out of the room, Sayomi stood from Grimmjow's lap and made to leave.

"Sayomi," Aizen called from where he still sat at the head of the table with Gin and Tousen beside him. "I'd like a word with you if I could please."

Stopping to turn around and face him, Sayomi smiled coyly. "Of course, Aizen-sama."

Aizen chuckled at her answer, but gestured for her to have a seat in the now empty chair to his right, which she did without hesitation, clasping her hands in her lap and leaning back to to stare coolly into the brown eyes that were assessing her every move.

"I'm surprised, Sayomi, I didn't expect you to so willingly agree to go back and confront Urahara," Aizen began, sipping from the white mug in front of him.

"The way I see it, I don't have a choice," she answered.

"And why is that?"

Sayomi didn't take her eyes off of Aizen, she needed to step carefully or she could risk getting herself into a much tighter corner than she wanted to be in. Aizen couldn't know that she no longer cared about what happened to her so long as she took him with her.

"To be honest," Sayomi replied, her head tilting to side thoughtfully. "It's because I don't have anywhere left to go. I can't go to Soul Society because I'll be killed for what I am since in their eyes I'm nothing more than a freak of nature that needs to be disposed off. I can't go back to Karakura because I betrayed everyone I knew there, besides I never really liked that place. I'm not fond of the world of the living and have no desire to go back, that leaves me with only one other option. To stay here and try to make the most of it."

"But you don't trust me," Aizen pointed out.

Sayomi shrugged a thin shoulder. "And you don't trust me, so we're even. Besides, can you blame me for not trusting you? You knew I wouldn't get the information out of Kisuke the first time around and you sent me to the real world because what you really wanted to do was make sure that everyone, Soul Society and all my previous friends, knew that I was a traitor. Chances are you have an ulterior motive for sending me on the same errand again, right?"

Aizen smirked at her. "You already know my motives."

"Then why does it matter whether or not everyone here trusts me? You don't intend to change your mind." She kept her eyes firmly on Aizen, careful not let any emotion seep into them or her face as she spoke. It wasn't as hard as she had expected it to be, keeping up a calm and cool exterior around this man that she was well aware wanted to take everything from her and keep her for himself like some sort of trophy. She thought that it could have been because she had resigned herself to bringing about his end and she would gladly do whatever it took to do so.

"You're right, I don't. I'm curious, Sayomi, the other day you seemed completely against having anything to do with me, as a matter of fact you actually said you wanted nothing to do with me, so why are you so compliant now?"

"Compliant? I wouldn't say that," she replied smoothly, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I just know that my stay will be more comfortable here if I keep an open mind." She gave Aizen a small smile, but she didn't fail to notice the slight downward tilt that her brother's lips were taking on as their conversation continued. She was also well aware that Aizen wasn't fully believing what she was telling him. "I know I have given you no reason to trust me and I also know that my actions the other day would make you want to do anything but trust me. However, I do want to prove myself to you, I will get the information from Kisuke this time, whatever it takes."

Aizen smiled widely at her, he was clearly amused with the turn of events. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

Sayomi kept silent as she walked through the garganta that Ulquiorra had created to allow them and four others, Yammy and Grimmjow included as well as several other nameless faceless, to make their way to Karakura. Her eyes were lifeless pits and she was moving with all the grace of a lioness that was stalking her prey. She was on her guard, not only was she aware that all but one of her companions didn't like her and would probably kill her if they were given the opportunity, she was also aware that there had to have been another reason beyond wanting her to prove herself to the Arrancar under Aizen's control for sending her back to question Kisuke.

It was just before she saw the sliver of blue sky that was where they would be exiting the garganta above Karakura that she realized what that other reason was and she wasn't fully able to conceal the flicker of unease that washed over her when she sensed the presence of the one man she really didn't want to run into.

Byakuya Kuchiki.

It didn't surprise her that he was there, she had expected it, she knew him and she knew he would have volunteered to bring her back to Soul Society so that she could be put to death. A part of her was saddened by that fact and confused, they had loved each other once, but now they were two very different people and more importantly, they were on two different sides.

"Your only job is to question Kisuke Urahara, you aren't to worry about anything or anyone else," Ulquiorra said to her.

"I'm aware of that," Sayomi replied icily as they stepped into the crystal clear sky above Karakura. "You do your job and keep them away and I'll do mine." Without a glance at Ulquiorra or any of the others, Sayomi flashed away, heading directly for the Urahara Shoten and keeping her spirit energy as concealed as possible.

She wasn't surprised when she felt Byakuya giving chase to her, she knew he would sense her despite her efforts to hide her reiatsu. She sped up and ignored the nobleman's approach, Ulquiorra and Yammy weren't too far behind and though she doubted Yammy would stand a chance against Byakuya, she didn't quite know what Ulquiorra was capable of. A part of her was certain that she didn't want to know, he was Aizen's pet for reason and it wasn't because he was weak. Nnoitra liked to say he was the strongest, but it wouldn't have surprised her if Ulquiorra actually held that title, fourth Espada or not.

A growl leaked through her lips and her eyes narrowed as she raced to the sliding doors of Urahara's shop. The shopkeeper wasn't alone. While Ichigo had sped off in the direction of Yammy and Ulquiorra another person had instead gone straight to the shop, having more skill at sensing spirit energy.

"Bakudo, number four, hainawa (crawling rope)," Sayomi muttered under her breath as she ran through the doors and into the Urahara Shoten, just as she finished the incantation she raised her hands, palms outward.

There was a surprised shout as a thick rope wound its way around a surprised black haired boy, pinning his arms to his sides and making it impossible for him to form his bow.

"What are you doing, Sayomi," Uryu shouted, struggling fruitlessly against the magic that bound him.

She ignored him and made her way to the underground training room where Urahara was already waiting for her. "Breathe, Fuyukaze."

There was a sharp hiss as Sayomi attacked Kisuke head on and without hesitation. When her attack was blocked, she pushed herself away from the blond man before attacking again only to have her attempt blocked once again. Spinning on her heel, she came at Kisuke's left side with Fuyukaze, when he moved his own sword to counter she lifted a booted foot and sent it back into his stomach.

"I see you're taking this seriously," Kisuke commented cheekily, rubbing at his stomach with a sigh as he grinned at Sayomi. "I was really hoping-"

Sayomi never let him finish, she gracefully flicked the the hilt of her sword in to the air, causing the blade to sweep through the air in front of her in a circle. "Exhale, Fuyukaze."

"Sing, Benihime," Kisuke shouted, a wall of a hard red substance forming in front of him to shield him from the sudden onslaught of snow and ice that was being hurled at him by a strong and sharp ice cold wind. Parts of the shield cracked and some of the edges began to crumble.

A frown found its way to Kisuke's face as his shield began to fall apart around him. His eyes widening suddenly, he spun around and barely managed to lift Benihime into a defensive position across the front of his body, using the flat of it to block Sayomi's attack on him. The wind hadn't let up, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the blue eyed girl as small bits of snow and ice began to slice through the fabric of his black robe.

"I'm in a hurry, Kisuke so either tell me what you're building for Soul Society willingly or I'll beat it out of you." Sayomi threatened monotonously, pushing against his sword and not failing to notice the strain he was under since he had been forced to block her hastily.

"So you know I'm building something, huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Sayomi growled, bringing Fuyukaze down quickly and letting the hilt slide over her palm so that the tip of the blade was now pointing to the dirt before bringing it back up and leaping backwards to put some distance between them.

"You almost cut me," Kisuke observed in a half whine, half amazed voice as he looked at the clean cut that Sayomi had inflicted upon his kimono to reveal part of his chest and abdomen, she had barely missed cutting through his skin.

Sayomi's eyes shifted to the entrance into the barren, desert like room, her jaw clenched and she openly frowned. Byakuya was getting much too close for comfort and he was extremely aggravated at the moment. Ulquiorra had been keeping him busy, while Grimmjow was fighting with Ichigo. Yammy and the two other Arrancar were spread out over a small area fighting with Chad and Byakuya's lieutenant, Renji.

A quiet hiss escaped her lips before she turned her blue eyes onto Kisuke who was watching her curiously.

"Do you really want to do this, Sayomi?" He asked.

"I don't have a choice," she replied blankly, raising a hand in front of her face and pulling her nails through it to allow the white of her feline like hollow mask to form over her face. "I suggest you tell me soon, before someone gets hurt." The reiatsu she had been keeping under strict control sky rocketed, sending a hurricane like gust of wind through the training room. She would normally not resort to having to use her hollow form, but she wanted to finish things here as quickly as she could and get away from Byakuya and the others.

"That's cheating," Kisuke sighed, scratching at his head.

She was fast as it was, she had had Yoruichi for a teacher after all and only her and Byakuya could rival her in speed, but while in hollow form, she was little more than a blur of white that moved so fast that by the time anyone would be able to react, she would have already inflicted a severe amount of damage. It wasn't much different for Kisuke, the only difference was that his eyes could see her, but his body couldn't keep up with her movements. He barely had time to register the palm that slammed into his stomach or the fact that there was a loud whistling in his ears as he soared through the air before smashing into one of the many rock walls, leaving a rather large indent in it as he fell to the ground.

His sword was still clutched in his hand, but it was knocked free by a swift kick from Sayomi and clattered to the ground loudly. He winced when Sayomi stepped in front of him, placing the extremely sharp tip of Fuyukaze at the base of his throat and putting enough pressure onto the spot to draw a small bead of blood.

Reaching up, Sayomi lifted her mask from her face so that it rested on the top of her head to reveal that her eyes were still wild, but her face was much the same. "Tell me, Kisuke," she ordered, pressing Fuyukaze just a little deeper into his skin.

"I didn't think you'd go this far just to kill your own brother," Kisuke admitted, his voice slightly rough.

"I have no intention of killing my brother," she replied evenly.

Kisuke's eyes widened for a moment before his face returned to a more serious expression. "I see, then you've joined Aizen?"

"He wants a queen and I plan on giving him exactly what he wants."

Staring up at her for a few seconds, Kisuke seemed to think about something before sighing and shaking his head. "Four pillars will be erected around Karakura, all the citizens will be put to sleep and then Karakura will be replaced with a fake while the real thing is kept safe in Soul Society."

"Is there a back up should one of the pillars be destroyed?"

"Not yet, but I'm working on it."

"Well work faster because if I fail then everyone will be relying on you," Sayomi replied, her voice sounded tired as she reached a hand up above her head and let her mask disintegrate into nothingness. She removed Fuyukaze from his throat and turned around to leave the blond staring after curiously as she disappeared in a small chill breeze.

Uryu looked up as something shot past him, he heard someone mutter, "release" and the spell that had bound him was broken. He was on his feet and out the door not a second later.

There were several clashes of reiatsu, but instead of heading for Ulquiorra who she knew would sense her leaving the shop, she headed towards Grimmjow and away from the rather annoyed Sixth division captain. Having gotten what she had come there for, she was focusing on getting out of there and back to Hueco Muendo, with her thoughts distracted as she neared the fight between Grimmjow and Ichigo, she never noticed the person who was following her until it was already too late.

She spun around, preparing to draw Fuyukaze, but she never got that far. Her eyes widened in surprise and a choked sound was forced from her throat as something was embedded into her left shoulder, she screamed when it was then ripped forcefully out of it. Tendons and bone were destroyed as blood showered into the air.

"Sayomi!" Ichigo shouted, taking his attention from Grimmjow who had also stopped fighting to turn to her as she coughed up a stream of blood and fell to her knees, clutching at her left arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Renji?!" Ichigo yelled at the red head that was standing a few feet in front of her.

"She's a traitor, she's working with Aizen," Renji snapped.

"You don't know a damn thing about her, you idiot," Ichigo argued, charging forward when Renji made it apparent that he didn't intend to listen and went to attack Sayomi again. "She can't fight back, but you'll still attack her," he growled, blocking Renji's blade with his own.

"I have orders."

"I don't give a damn about your orders, I won't let you touch her."

Sayomi cast a glance back at Grimmjow, pushing herself to her feet as her blood pooled around her and stumbling towards him. He caught her before she could fall again, lifting her into his arms and turning to leave through a newly opened rip in the air.

"Wait," Ichigo yelled after them, cursing when Grimmjow paid him no mind.

"You idiot they got away," Renji complained.

"You're the idiot, Renji," Ichigo retorted bitterly, his eyes slipping over to Uryu as the Quincy arrived, his eyes taking in the blood covered ground and the fact that Sayomi was no longer there. "What do you know about Sayomi? Anything?"

"She's a traitor," he shrugged.

"Sayomi isn't a traitor," Uryu stated calmly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he frowned at Renji. "She was a loyal Soul Reaper and still is."

"How can you two defend her? She attacked Urahara," Renji pointed out.

Ichigo just shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, and even Uryu didn't seem to think much of it.

"She's doing what she feels she needs to do in order to stop Aizen," the just mentioned blond added as he too walked into the park.

"I thought she wanted to-"

"Her plans have changed, she's no longer aiming for her brother, but for Aizen himself and she's willing to give herself to him to do it," Kisuke replied before Ichigo could complete his sentence.

"Wait, you mean she's trying to kill Aizen?" Renji asked.

"Yes and she's trying to do it alone," Kisuke answered. "And chances are he's already aware of what she's planning."

"Dammit," Ichigo shouted angrily. "Why can't she just ask for help?"

"Because she's already betrayed you once, she doesn't want to have to do it again. She also doesn't feel that it is a fight you should get involved in. She's tired, she wants to end things on her own terms in hopes that no one else will have to get hurt."

"When is that garganta going to be done?" Ichigo asked.

Kisuke smiled. "Give me five days."

* * *

Please review!


	23. Chapter 23 Worlds Apart

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

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**Chapter 23**

**Worlds Apart**

Sayomi lay on her sofa, one hand behind her head and the other resting on her stomach as she stared up at the annoyingly white ceiling above her, even in the darkness she had let her room plunge into, she could see the ceiling and walls. Her sharp ears caught a strange buzzing sound and her pale blue eyes immediately began to try and track down the source of the sound, flitting from side to side until her hand snapped into the air. Wrinkling her nose, she opened her fist and let the now dead fly that she noticed had a little white mask on its head fall to the ground carelessly.

"We're about to have company," Sayomi mumbled to herself, but she didn't bother to move from her position, stretched out lithely on her couch. She had hardly moved from that spot since Orihime had healed her shoulder several hours earlier.

There was no knock or call before the door flew open and an angry blue haired Espada appeared in her doorway, framed by the light of the hallway.

"Can I help you, Kitten," Sayomi asked blandly, examining her nails disinterestedly.

"Lets go," he grunted.

A white eyebrow tilted up and blue eyes cornered over to the man in her doorway. "Excuse me?"

"Aizen's asking for us."

"Is he now," she replied blandly. "What a surprise." Sarcasm wasn't something she exhibited often, but she wasn't surprised that Aizen wanted to see them. News had reached just about every single person that lived in the entirety of Hueco Muendo that Sayomi had succeeded in getting the information that Aizen wanted from Kisuke, now all she had to do was report it and she wasn't exactly in the mood. Her shoulder was still sore from nearly being ripped off and Orihime had been upset by the fact that the man who had done it was apparently a friend to their little group.

"You're making this difficult, either you go willingly or I'll drag your ass there. I'm not in the mood to be lectured by Tousen, so lets go."

Glancing up at the ceiling and sighing, Sayomi pushed herself off the couch, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders. She was wearing long white hakama and with it she wore a long white coat with a deep v-neck that laced up the front with a black ribbon. There were slits on either side of the coat to allow her to move more freely as well as in the back, it almost reminded her of Ulquiorra's usual clothing choice, almost, hers was much more stylish. Her feet were bare at the moment, but she grabbed her boots which had somehow managed to stay free of blood, unlike everything else she had worn and slipped them on before standing to walk to where Grimmjow waited for her.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said quietly, rolling her stiff shoulder and stretching her neck.

Grimmjow frowned. "You're not the only one."

They walked to the meeting room in silence and once there, Sayomi chose to step up beside Gin, somehow that's what she thought she was supposed to do when he turned and smiled at her. Folding her arms over her chest, Sayomi leaned back onto her heels and waited patiently for the meeting to begin.

"Thank you all for joining us again so soon," Aizen began, looking out over the long table of his Espada members. "I thought that you would all like to hear that Sayomi has accomplished her task, she was wounded in the process which was the reason for the delay. Sayomi," he said, turning to smile at her and gesture at the full table. "Would you like to share what you learned?"

"Soul Society is planning on putting all of the inhabitants of Karakura Town into an induced sleep and then replacing the actual town with a fake. Four pillars will be erected around the town to enable them to swap the real town for the fake. The real Karakura will be protected in Soul Society while the...battles are fought in the real world," Sayomi explained boredly, smiling at Aizen once she finished.

"So all that we need to do is destroy those pillars and the real town will be at our disposal," Szayel inquired.

"It won't be that easy," Sayomi replied, not caring that the question was more than likely not aimed at her, but had been meant for Aizen. "Urahara is working on something that would allow a broken pillar to remain useful, on top of that, do you really think that they wold leave the pillars unguarded?"

"Sayomi is right, the pillars will undoubtedly be guarded," Aizen said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap. "But that won't be a problem."

"I don't see how that's not a problem," Sayomi challenged. "You have made the entirety of that world angry and I'm sure that more than one of them want something more than to just defend their home. I'm sure there's someone who will want revenge and that can be a very powerful motivator, I would know after all. How can you know that it won't be a problem, there are still ten captains and their lieutenants as well as the three lieutenants that you left behind and only ten members of your Espada."

"Ah, I forget that you haven't had much of a chance to see the members of my Espada in action, but there's no need to worry, Sayomi. Not all the captains and their lieutenants will be present, some of them will be occupied elsewhere. That's actually something that I'll be needing your help with," Aizen informed her smoothly.

She nodded her understanding, but couldn't help but feel ill at ease. She knew that part of capturing Orihime was to lure Ichigo, Uryu and Chad away from Karakura. It was likely that after that higher level Soul Reapers would be sent to retrieve them, thinning the already thin ranks of the Gotei 13 and leaving them vulnerable to attack. She had made sure that she would have some time to prepare for Ichigo and the others by destroying the only suitable location Kisuke had for creating a Garganta, but she also knew that it wouldn't take him long to rebuild it, especially with how determined Ichigo could be.

"The other reason I wanted everyone to gather together again was because I thought you should all know that I have plans on making Sayomi your future queen. Which is why it means so much me to me that you trust her."

Sayomi's eyes widened at the rather unexpected statement, but she didn't say anything, only turned her blue eyes to Aizen and blinked before tearing her gaze from his and lowering her eyes to the floor. She wasn't the only one to be surprised, there were murmurs around the entire room and several dirty looks were cast in her direction.

The corner Sayomi had backed herself into was beginning to grow smaller and narrower with each little thing that Aizen did to make sure she had nowhere left to go but back to him. She knew that a few more smart moves on his part and she really wouldn't have any choice but to do exactly as he wanted, to crawl to him and beg him to help her. She was hoping to be able to use a few tricks of her own, a lustful man could usually be won over easily by a few coy words or a flick of the hair, but this wasn't just a man that was lusting after her. He wanted every part of her under his control and if things didn't turn around soon, he might just get his wish.

The meeting was dismissed shortly after, but Sayomi stayed beside Gin, carefully avoiding the eyes of every person that walked past her. Gin nudged her in the arm and tilted his head towards the door once the room emptied out, she was about to follow after him when Aizen stood up and called for her.

She turned around slowly, but met his gaze unwaveringly. "Yes?"

"I'd actually like you to join me for dinner, you and Gin can play with the hallways later," Aizen told her and despite the smoothness of his tone, she knew she had no choice.

"Of course, I'd love to," she replied, smiling at Gin and waving before following Aizen from the room.

"There's no need to be so tense, Sayomi," Aizen said, glancing over his shoulder at her as she walked a few paces behind him. "It's only dinner and you can leave after. I'd just like to talk to you, you seem to be opening up a bit, but you're still not entirely willing to become my queen, are you?"

"I told you before that I don't want to be someone's entertainment and I don't believe for a second that you would view me as anything but your own personal play thing," Sayomi answered brazenly.

Aizen's lips quirked upwards at her response. "And I told you I have no use for a whore, Sayomi. I am a man and yes I have the needs of one, but," he turned around to face her at this point, forcing her to stop in her tracks to look questioningly up at him. "I would rather spend my life loving one woman rather than many. You're scared of me, aren't you?"

Sayomi didn't reply to his question, he already knew the answer if he was asking. Her body language was probably a dead give away anyway regardless of how hard she tried to make it seem like she was scared of nothing. Her breath hitched in her throat when he reached a hand towards her face and ran the backs of his finger lightly over her cheekbone before leaning closer to her.

"I'm sorry that I frighten you, Sayomi," he whispered in her ear. "But I promise you there is nothing to be afraid of."

Her eyes clenched shut and she pursed her lips in an attempt to keep her breathing regular as her hair was brushed from her shoulder and Aizen kissed her neck softly, his lips then traveled upwards, stopping at her chin where they lingered for a moment before he pulled away from her.

"See, I am capable of being gentle," Aizen said, placing a finger under her chin to tilt her face up to his as she reopened her eyes. "I meant what I said Sayomi, I want a queen and it will be you. I'd like it if you would at least give me a chance."

"And if I willingly agree to be your queen, what's in it for me?"

"Everything you could ever want."

'All I want is you dead,' she thought as she managed a small, coy smile.

* * *

The following day Sayomi went in search of her older brother, but she couldn't find him anywhere and with as large as Los Noches was and as unfamiliar with it as she still was, she was having a hard time pin pointing his exact location. No one she saw spoke to her, but almost everyone seemed to be more respectful, bowing their heads to her or stepping out of her way. Jealousy was a powerful thing and many of the residents of Los Noches were not happy with her rather quick and unexpected rise to the top. Most of them wouldn't do a thing, knowing full well that to challenge her would be like challenging Aizen himself and no one here would dare to do that. Except for her, but they didn't need to know that and it was unlikely she ever would. She would lose and she knew it, which was why she had no intentions of playing fair.

When she had no luck finding Gin in his rooms or the surveillance room, she made her way back towards Aizen's quarters and the meeting halls, hoping that he was there somewhere. The fact that she was unable to get a clear reading on his whereabouts was beginning to grate on her nerves, as it was she hadn't seen anyone in over thirty minutes and she was running out of places to look for her squinty eyed brother.

"Ulquiorra," she called suddenly, sensing the emotionless Espada just around the next corner. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned the corner to almost wind up in the black haired man's arms, well it was more likely she would have wound up on the floor since he probably would have just stepped out of her way. "Uh, have you seen Gin, I've been looking for him, but I can't get a good fix on him."

"He's with Aizen-sama, in the great hall," he replied. "I was just asked to bring you there."

"Oh."

A sudden sense of dread began to build up in her stomach, she didn't understand it, but as she walked beside Ulquiorra something was telling her to turn around and not go with him. She ignored that voice, opting to figure she was just being paranoid. The second that the double doors began to swing open, grinding quietly against the tile of the floors, she knew she should have listened.

'_Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze warned tensely.

'I know Fuyu, the scent of blood is fresh in here, but whose is it?'

"So nice of you to join us, Sayomi. You got here quicker then I expected."

The voice was followed by a dull thump and Sayomi's head snapped towards the sound and the voice that she immediately recognized as Aizen's. He was standing just behind the last pillar of the hall, on the left. She could tell that he had his sword drawn and there was a puddle of blood at his feet, but where it was coming from was unknown to her. She barely heard the sounds of the doors closing behind her as she took another step, her eyes focused on the blood at Aizen's feet.

A pale hand came into view, followed by the sleeve of a bloodstained robe. Taking another step forward, she was able to see the face of the man that lie dead on the ground before Aizen. She stifled a sob and brought her hands to her mouth to muffle any other sobs that might threaten to slip past her lips as her eyes began to water.

"Gin," she half sobbed as she stared at the face of her brother that was contorted by the pain of his final moments. "Why...Why did you.." She couldn't force the words from her mouth as she tore her eyes from the pale face that would forever be etched into her memory to look at his killer. She could feel the many emotions swirling around inside her, ranging from sadness to hate and her hands clenched at her sides in an attempt to keep the cool demeanor she had built up while in Hueco Muendo.

"This is what you wanted. What you betrayed all of your friends for, isn't it? To kill him," Aizen said, a slight twitch of his wrist sending an arc of red droplets from his sword onto the tile behind him before he slid the steel blade into the sheathe at his side. "I thought that as a gift to show you that I will give you whatever you want, I would give you what you came here for."

"Bastard," she spat, tears freely pouring down her cheeks as Aizen took a step towards her and then another. For each one he took towards her, she took one back until icy fingers encircled her arms, holding her in place. She hissed as she glanced over her shoulder at Ulquiorra.

"You came all this way for revenge," Aizen began as he neared Sayomi who was eying him suspiciously as she tried to not press her body into Ulquiorra's as Aizen's hand slowly reached for her. She couldn't evade the icy fingers that brushed over her cheek and made her want to vomit, all she could do was fruitlessly turn her head away. "You hated him, didn't you? You wanted him dead, your own loving brother who would have done anything for you. Even betray me."

Sayomi's eyes widened and she sucked in a surprised breath. "What," she asked shakily.

"He tried to kill me, Sayomi. Just because I want to be the one to take care of you now."

"No. He wouldn't have-"

"He did. He wanted to protect his precious little sister by killing the man who plans on taking everything from you. I will have you Sayomi, you will be mine," Aizen murmured coldly. "Even if I have to kill everyone you once loved, you will be mine."

She shook her head with a cold laugh. "No, I won't." She took a deep breath and Ulquiorra was forced to take a step back as blue and white reiatsu bloomed around her with a thundering crash, her hair whipped around her body and the loose fabric of her uniform did the same. With her head lowered, she raised her right hand out to her side, without a word her bracelet disintegrated and Fuyukaze's deep blue sheathe appeared in her hand. When she finally looked up to meet Aizen's eyes and saw the smirk that resided there, her eyes narrowed and in a quick, graceful move she had unsheathed Fuyukaze and charged at him.

It was no surprise to her when Ulquiorra appeared in her path, blocking the way to Aizen. Not knowing the first thing about Ulquiorra's abilities, she was leery about facing him, but as pissed off and saddened as she was at the moment, she had no intention of letting him block her path to Aizen for long. She tore her nails through the air in front of her face allowing her hollow mask to form before she held Fuyukaze out in front of her, the tip pointed to the ground. The hall all but exploded due to the force of her spirit energy as she released the sword, letting it disappear into the tile at her feet, her lips moved but the only word that was heard was an angrily muttered, "Ban-kai" before the entire room was splashed with bright white light and gale force winds combined with snow and ice began to tear the room apart.

"I'm honored you'd go so far as to show me your ban-kai, Sayomi, but I don't see why you're so upset. I gave you what you wanted, or had you changed your mind, hm? Women really are so fickle and changeable," Aizen mused, his smirk still on his face as his clothes and hair were whipped around by the wind.

Sayomi's darkened eyes narrowed and a feral growl leaked from between her clenched teeth as her face twisted into an angry snarl beneath her mask. "There's no way you didn't know that I had changed my mind and you will pay for what you did to him."

She raised her right hand into the air, her fingers gracefully flicking in Aizen's direction. The freezing, churning winds behind her howled and swished passed her, causing her long hair to blow into her face. Her wrist moved again, her fingers sweeping through the air to redirect the snow storm when Ulquiorra tried to disperse it with a sweep of his right arm, he managed to redirect some of the blow, but now all and now had several deep gashes on his arm. Sayomi had enough control over the sharp winds that she could attack him again without much of a pause. This time Ulquiorra couldn't deflect the icy wind that enveloped him, ripping through cloth and skin before hurling him into one of the pillars with enough force to break it in half.

"Now that we're alone, let me show you just how thankful I am," Sayomi told Aizen, her voice starting out calm and quiet before rising to an anger filled yell.

Raising her right hand out to her side, there was a stirring and gathering of wind that solidified until she had a replica of Fuyukaze in her outstretched hand. With no hesitation, she took a single step and attacked Aizen head on. She hissed through her teeth when her blade met his with a screech that was lost as the already violently churning winds intensified, Sayomi pushed herself away from Aizen and at the same moment the winds directed themselves at the brown haired man, colliding with the ground with enough force to shake the entire room.

She was forced to turn her head to the side to avoid the spray of ice and rubble, but her eyes never left the spot where Aizen had been standing.

"It seems I've underestimated you, Sayomi," a cool voice said evenly, almost teasingly.

Sayomi's eyes widened as the dust cleared and she saw that Aizen was still standing in the exact same spot with barely a scratch on him. His robes were tattered around the hems and there was a scratch on his cheek that was leaking a small line of blood, but nothing else.

"Impossible," she muttered to herself. She had been considered one of the strongest captains of the Gotei 13 and had never met someone who could withstand her bankai, except for Byakuya, but the final release for their zanpakuto was so similar that their attacks usually canceled each other out. But now, not only was she in hollow form which made her attacks exponentially stronger, she had just attacked Aizen full force and had only managed to scratch him. She suddenly realized just how much stronger Aizen was than her and everyone else and though she had known that she stood no chance of beating him from the beginning, she never expected the difference between them to be so great that she could barely scratch him.

"Not impossible dear, you just underestimated me. Now would you like to calm down so we can talk this over, I'd really like to keep you from destroying this hall, it's one of my favorites."

She snarled in frustration, crouching slightly before raising both hands in front of her, with her blade parallel to the ground, Sayomi pointed one finger at Aizen and at the same time once again directed the full force of her bankai at him. Once she had gathered enough energy, she fired a blazing red cero at Aizen along with her bankai. There was a rumbling as the flooring began to crumble and give out from the immense pressure that was being put on it. Once the red light of the cero dissipated, Sayomi flashed through the snow and ice that was still pressing upon Aizen, it did her no harm as she let out a small cry and lunged for the brown haired man.

Her sword pierced through his upper chest, blood stained the white of his robe and Sayomi felt a small sense of pride at having been able to actually wound the man. Until he simply raised his empty right hand and closed his fingers around the blade of her sword. He pulled the blade from his chest easily before his fist closed, shattering the silver blade of Sayomi's sword.

'There's just no way,' Sayomi thought in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief. 'This can't be real. He can't be so strong that a sword through his chest would barely affect him and to crush my sword, even if it wasn't the real thing, but only a part of my bankai....'

'_Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze yelled worriedly, snapping her out of her state of shock. '_Run! We cannot beat him._'

Coming back to her senses, Sayomi spun on her heel and attempted to flee, trying to distract Aizen with another flurry of the strong and sharp winds. He merely swatted everything away like it was nothing and watched her go. She was just about to reach the doors when she stopped suddenly, letting out a choked, harsh cough. Her eyes widened in confusion and uncertainty as she felt something warm slip through her lips and run down her chin, everything seemed to slow for a moment before she was jerked painfully back into awareness and reality as something was pulled from her back. Looking down she saw that the once perfectly white coat she had worn was slowly turning red starting from a place near the center of her chest. She took a shuddering breath, gasping for air that didn't want to fill her lungs.

'This isn't happening...I can't die here...Not here, not with him,' Sayomi thought frantically, her eyes clenching shut as she concentrated on trying to calm herself down.

Taking another shuddering breath, Sayomi let herself melt into a state of peacefulness, let the feeling wash over her until all she could feel was a gentle and cool breeze kissing her cheeks. Her eyes snapped back open and she spun around, slicing through the air with Fuyukaze who she had released from bankai, surprised by her sudden return to her senses as well as by the fact that she still had any strength left to fight, Ulquiorra couldn't fully move away from the blow. She cut through his stomach easily before raising a booted foot and slamming it into him, sending him flying through the air. With one last look at Aizen who was watching in clear amusement, Sayomi turned and fled, letting her mask shatter as she ran, it was taking too much energy to keep it on and stay in control.

She was having a hard time breathing as she flashed her way through Los Noches, she was surprised that despite the commotion, there was no one in the halls as she made her way to Orihime's room. She was panting heavily, her left hand wrapped around her body that was beginning to hunch forward as she threw Orihime's white door open.

"S-Sayomi! Wha-what happ-"

"We need to go," Sayomi yelled, glancing over her shoulder with a scowl and turning to stand in a defensive crouch in front of Orihime with Fuyukaze held steadily before her.

"How do you plan on leaving when you can't open a Garganta," Grimmjow asked pompously as he appeared in Orihime's doorway.

Sayomi clenched her jaw shut with a small growl. She took a step back as Grimmjow walked into the room, she didn't want to tire herself out anymore than she was since she knew she would likely run into several problems once she got in to the real world again.

"What are you doing," she asked in surprise when Grimmjow raised his right arm to his side and a with a strange ripping noise created a garganta.

"Go," he said blandly.

She eyed him suspiciously before her eyes snapped to the door, Ulquiorra was on his way there and it wouldn't be long until he got there. Scowling, she turned to Orihime. "There's no solid walkway in a garganta, you have to create one by focusing your spirit energy to your feet, I can do most of the work, but I'll need you to go first, ok?"

Orihime nodded hesitantly, clearly frightened by the sudden and drastic change of events.

"Come on," Sayomi said, lowering Fuyukaze and stepping just inside of the garganta to create the beginning of a walkway to the other side. She motioned for Orihime to go first and once the red head girl ran through, Sayomi cast a look at Grimmjow, uncertain of his true intentions. Aizen would kill him for what he was doing, not only helping her escape but Orihime too, so why would he do it? "Thank you," she said before turning and fleeing into the darkness of the portal he had created for them.

The rip closed just as Ulquiorra appeared in the room with a static like sound that accompanied sonido. He eyed Grimmjow motionlessly. "So you can follow orders."

* * *

Please review!


	24. Chapter 24 Taken For a Fool

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

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**Chapter 24**

**Taken For a Fool**

Kensei lifted his head from the knife he had been cleaning, his eyes widening as there was a dramatic shift in spiritual pressure. "Did you guys feel that?"

"Yeah," Shinji answered, removing his brown cap from his face and sitting up on the couch, scratching at his cheek as his face drew into a concerned frown.

"What do you think is happening," Lisa asked, setting her magazine aside.

"I think Sayomi may have finally realized just what Aizen is capable of," Shinji answered solemnly.

Everyone in the warehouse went quiet. It was obvious by the declining strength of Sayomi's reiatsu that they could all feel along with the fearful reiatsu of the girl with her, that something massive had happened and Sayomi was in horrible shape because of it. Her health was rapidly declining and she likely wouldn't survive another fight, something that made several of them uneasy.

"What do we do," Love questioned quietly, talking his sunglasses off to run a hand over his forehead.

"Nothing," Kensei answered and all heads turned to him in confusion, eyes wide and uncertain.

"But she's in bad shape Kensei, if we do nothing, she could die," Rose pointed out gently.

Kensei frowned and looked down at the knife he had been cleaning. "There are soul reapers here who are here just for her, if we interfere now, we'll be giving ourselves up. Do you all really want to do that? Besides, I doubt we're the only ones who've noticed. Give it a minute and Sayomi will have help, what side they're on is going to be the biggest problem."

"You sure 'bout this," Shinji asked. "She could end up being taken to Soul Society. It's actually highly likely that that is exactly what'll happen."

"She chose this, Shinji, she can deal with the consequences," Kensei said emotionlessly, though his face betrayed the tension he felt. He still loved Sayomi and he knew that she had had her reasons for doing what she did, but that didn't change the fact that he still felt angry and betrayed.

Shinji sighed bleakly, shaking his head before lying back down on the couch and putting his cap over his face.

* * *

Ichigo, Uryu and Chad were just walking out of their classroom, class having just ended for the day when they felt the atmosphere shift and two familiar reiatsu appear suddenly, but one was all wrong. Without even exchanging looks, they all took off, Ichigo stopping to change forms and to leave his body in some bushes.

* * *

Byakuya and his lieutenant immediately noticed the arrival of the two spiritual pressures and also noted that the one they were sent to capture was rapidly declining in strength. They would have gone in search of the energy, but they weren't currently alone, they had just so happened to run into a friend of Aizen's who upon noticing the weakening reiatsu that had appeared, frowned heavily and turned to one of his two companions that wordlessly created a rip in the sky that they all disappeared through.

No longer preoccupied, Byakuya and Renji sped off towards the woman they had been sent to capture.

* * *

"Orihime, that bracelet, take it off," Sayomi panted as they ran. She too pulled the small bangle that had been given to her to keep her invisible to humans off and tossed it behind her to leave in the darkness.

'Something's wrong,' Sayomi thought, her face was pulled into a grimace as she ran just behind Orihime, one arm still wrapped around her torso while Fuyukaze stayed clutched tightly in her right hand.

She was panting and becoming dizzy from the loss of blood, her muscles were on fire as they protested against the immense pressure she was putting on them to go faster. Relief washed over her when a line of blue appeared before them. Her vision suddenly swam nauseatingly and she fell to her knees, a racking cough making her eyes clench shut as pain washed over her and she sprayed the walkway in front of her with her own blood that was beginning to fill her lungs.

"Sayomi!" Orihime shouted worriedly, running to the fallen girl and kneeling next to her with a look of worry and concern written on her face.

"I..I can't," Sayomi gasped as a spasm of pain snaked through her entire body and she let out a quiet cry, clutching at her chest.

Orihime looked towards the opening she could see in the darkness, it wasn't much further. "Come on," the red head said defiantly, putting Sayomi's blood covered left arm over her shoulders and wrapping her arm around her before carefully lifting her from the ground.

Sayomi grunted, but tried her best to stay on her feet as Orihime helped to support her. Her vision was beginning to grow gray around the edges and everything kept going in and out of focus.

"Almost," Orihime said, her voice strained as she struggled to keep Sayomi upright, the white haired girl was beginning to sag forward and her knees were giving out with every other step.

The second they stepped through the opening of the garganta, Sayomi sighed and let her arm slip from around Orihime's shoulders. Fortunately, the exit was only a few feet above ground and Sayomi's body crumpled into the grass of a deserted park.

"Sayomi!" Orihime shouted worriedly, throwing herself to her knees beside the wounded girl who was breathing in shallow gasps as her face began to pale. "Souten Kishun, I reject," she said hurriedly. "Please hang on, Sayomi."

"Orihime!"

Snapping her head around, Orihime smiled weakly at Ichigo as he ran up to them. She wasn't sure what Ichigo and the others felt towards Sayomi, especially since Renji had attacked her the day before.

"What happened?" He asked grimly as he stared down at Sayomi beneath the golden glow of Orihime's healing barrier.

"Gin's dead," Sayomi said shakily, tears forming in her eyes. "Aizen killed him. I tried to kill Aizen, but I only managed to wound him..." She started coughing violently, blood spraying her hands as she covered her mouth.

"You shouldn't talk Sayomi, let me heal you," Orihime pleaded.

"No, I-"

"Would you shut up and let her you heal you, you stubborn ass," Ichigo shouted. "Besides, how are you going to help us fight in the coming war if you're messed up like you are now, huh?"

Sayomi blinked at him, confused by the way he was acting. She had betrayed them, had had them attacked, attacked Urahara and he still wanted her help? It didn't make sense to her. She would have questioned it, but instead her vision grew blurry and everything went black before she could.

"Y-you mean you trust Sayomi," Orihime stuttered.

"Of course. She was trying to kill Aizen and end the war, right? She just didn't ask for help, which really pisses me off, but she's still our friend," Ichigo replied.

"That's good," Orihime sighed, smiling softly. "She was really worried that everyone would hate her."

"We might not all be happy with her, but I don't think any of us hate her."

Uryu and Chad arrived just a moment later and the three boys exchanged glances, but said nothing as they all watched Orihime try and heal Sayomi.

"What is it, Inoue," Uryu asked having seen the frown that had appeared on her face.

"I...There's something stopping me from healing her. It's like...there's something mixing with the wound and I can't get it out."

"Just keep trying," Ichigo said, his voice taking on a steely edge as he turned around to see Byakuya and Renji standing only a few yards away. "What do you want, Byakuya?"

The nobleman's eyebrow rose in annoyance at the familiar use of his first name. "You know exactly why I'm here, Kurosaki, now stand aside, Himura will be coming with us. The other woman was considered a traitor as well, but she doesn't concern me."

"I'm afraid, that might not be the best idea," Kisuke said, stepping into the clearing the group was gathered in, Yoruichi at his side, the woman smiled brightly at the slight twitch that Byakuya gave upon seeing his old teacher.

"And why is that," Byakuya asked coolly.

"Because if you take her as she is now, she'll die," Kisuke answered seriously.

"You make it sound as if I should care," the gray eyed man responded arrogantly.

"Come now little Byakuya, even you aren't that cold hearted regardless of what you'd like everyone to think," Yoruichi said, her voice light and almost taunting.

"Whether she dies now or later is of no consequence to me, she will die, Yoruichi, as a traitor should," Byakuya replied.

"You bastard!" Ichigo yelled. "You two were engaged, weren't you? How can you sound so uncaring? And she isn't a traitor! Don't you know her at all?!"

Uryu cleared his throat quietly. "Didn't you think she was a traitor until just a few days ago, Kurosaki?"

"Oh, shut up, Uryu!"

"Kisuke, we need to get her out of here, if she stays like this much longer the damage might become irreversible," Yoruichi said, she had crouched down opposite Orihime to look over Sayomi.

"So what are you going to do captain Kuchiki," Kisuke asked curiously. "Will you let us save her, or will you take her back to the Soul Society and let her die?"

"Like hell he's taking her any where," Ichigo snapped, his hand going to the hilt of the large sword strapped to his back.

Byakuya looked the group over with a stone cold look before his eyes came to rest on the unconscious Sayomi who was bathed in a gold glow from Orihime's healing spell.

"You know," Renji spoke up hesitantly. "The head captain did say he'd prefer she be brought in alive."

"He did, didn't he," Byakuya replied after a moment's silence. "It would be rather trying to question a corpse, wouldn't it? Fine, treat her, but once she is recovered enough, I am returning to Soul Society and she will be coming with me."

"Like hell she is," Ichigo muttered.

"Enough bickering you two," Yoruichi cut in, stepping between the two men with a stern look on her face. "Why don't we focus on Sayomi for the time being?"

Ichigo grunted, scowling at the emotionless Kuchiki before turning to help move Sayomi in anyway he could.

* * *

"So..do you know what's wrong with her Mr Urahara," Orihime asked nervously as Yoruichi carefully laid Sayomi on a mat on the wooden flooring of a room in the man's shop and home.

Kisuke frowned, his eyes on Sayomi. "Whoever did this to her, wanted her dead. Sayomi's soul isn't that of just a soul reaper, it's part soul reaper, part hollow. The reiatsu that is mixing with the wound is that of a very powerful hollow that allowed his reiatsu to leak into her, knowing that it would cause a reaction in her soul by unsettling the balance she has learned to maintain between the two opposing life forces inside of her."

"I guess that explains why Orihime was having a difficult time healing the wound," Uryu said.

Everyone was gathered in the room that Sayomi had been placed in. Ichigo, Uryu and Chad stood off to one side while Byakuya and Renji stood on the other. Orihime stood a few feet away from Sayomi, while Kisuke knelt by the woman's side, Yoruichi remained standing opposite him.

"It explains part of it," Kisuke replied.

"What do you mean part of it? You just have to get the reiatsu outta her soul, right? So why can't you do that?" Ichigo asked.

Uryu's eyes widened briefly. "Because Sayomi is a soul reaper and a hollow. She's not human, even though she looks it."

"Huh," Ichigo grunted. "I don't get it."

"When Sayomi fled Soul Society, she was a soul reaper who had had her soul tampered with by Aizen's experimental pathogen. The pathogen began to awaken a hollow in her soul, but that's not really the point, the point is that souls cannot be seen by humans, Ichigo. Sayomi is in a specially crafted gigai and has been since she's come to this world. Even though she doesn't age the same and she won't die easily, she is basically a normal human woman in that gigai," Kisuke explained.

"I still don't get it," Ichigo said. "Rukia and Renji have been in gigai before and they can use those mod souls or gloves to get out of them, can't you do that with her?"

Kisuke frowned. "It's not that simple. Sayomi's soul has more than likely had enough time to bind itself to the gigai."

"Are you beginning to understand now, little Byakuya," Yoruichi asked the silent captain, having seen his flicker uncertainly.

"You don't know if you can separate her soul from the gigai," he answered monotonously.

"Right. There's a good chance that trying to separate the two could very well kill her, but if we don't try, she'll die anyways," Kisuke stated grimly.

The entire room went silent, the tension in the air could have been cut with a knife it was so thick. Kisuke finally stood up and glanced at everyone in the room.

"Orihime, I'll need your help, Yoruichi can stay too, but everyone else should leave. I don't know what condition her soul is in since it's been in the gigai so long and I also don't need any distractions," he said.

* * *

The room was silent and had emptied of several of its occupants. Orihime was nervously sitting just behind the top of Sayomi's head, Kisuke, Yoruichi and Byakuya who had refused to leave. Tessai entered after a moment, a small box in his hands before kneeling down beside Kisuke.

"Are you ready, Orihime," Kisuke asked.

She nodded, swallowing heavily as she tried to gather her nerves.

Kisuke frowned down at Sayomi, unfortunately there was no way to slowly ease her soul from her body. He could probably find one if he had the time, but right now time wasn't on their side and Sayomi needed attention now. Using his cane for support, Kisuke stood up and nodded to Tessai. The burly man stood and carefully lifted Sayomi from the mats she had been placed on. Yoruichi stepped forward and helped to hold the unconscious girl up, leaving the area behind her clear so that if her soul did separate from her body it would fall on to the mats that had been set out.

"Well, here goes," Kisuke said, pointing the end of his cane at Sayomi's chest, there was a little skull and flame painted on it. Slowly he jabbed Sayomi with it, pressing the end into her chest.

There was startled gasp from Sayomi, her eyes flew open and she began struggling against the grips that held her firmly in place.

"Just hold on Sayomi," Yoruichi muttered.

"Her soul isn't budging," Kisuke said.

"Keep trying," Yoruichi told him.

Sayomi's head tilted back and she screamed as Kisuke pressed his cane harder into her upper chest. Her soul was determined to stay in its shell and not come out of it. Kisuke's eyes narrowed and he tired to apply more pressure to force the soul out of the body. There was a slight give and his eyes widened before he pulled back slightly and then slammed the end of the cane into Sayomi's chest again. There was a blinding flash of light that was followed by a dull thump.

Orihime immediately went into action, chanting the spell that would cover Sayomi in a golden glow. She couldn't quite see what had happened, her eyes were still recovering from the bright flash of light, but as she blinked repeatedly she saw that the Sayomi lying in front of her wasn't the same Sayomi she had moments ago been looking at. That Sayomi was held in Tessai's arms as the man carried her broken gigai out of the room.

The woman before her was almost identical to the Sayomi that she had always known, but there were a few minor differences. Her snowy hair was longer, falling almost to her hips. Her face looked more refined somehow and her body seemed thinner, but it was hard to tell since she was draped in a tattered shinigami uniform with a white haori over it.

"I...I can separate the other reiatsu now," Orihime spoke up, her eyes sparkling hopefully. "I think I can heal her now. It's going to take a while though."

"That's good, but she's not in the clear yet. Her soul is probably extremely weakened since it was relying so heavily on the gigai to survive," Kisuke replied solemnly.

"She'll be fine, I know she will," Orihime said quietly, determinedly keeping her hands held out before her.

* * *

Byakuya refused to leave the room that Sayomi was being kept in, saying that he didn't want to risk her waking up and running or having one of them move her in an attempt to hide her from Soul Society.

No one fully believed him.

He was currently sitting against one of the walls, his back straight and his posture as rigid as usual as his gray eyes watched Orihime try to heal Sayomi. The red headed young girl was beginning to grow tired, it was evident in the little beads of sweat that were forming on her forehead and the way her face was beginning to show signs of strain, even her arms were beginning to shake slightly. He somehow doubted the girl would be able to keep it up much longer, but then again she had already been sitting by Sayomi's side for over four hours.

She was concentrating so hard that she never noticed the door slide open or the young man that entered the room and knelt beside her with a glass of water.

"So how is she," Uryu asked.

Orihime screamed, jumping in fright and nearly knocking the water from Uryu's hand.

"Oh, Uryu, you scared me," Orihime breathed, putting her hands to her chest.

"Sorry. I brought you some water."

"Thanks," Orihime said with a smile, taking the glass and gladly taking a drink of the cool liquid. "I think I've got almost all of that dark reiatsu out and the actual wound is starting to close up, but...she doesn't seem to be getting any better."

"Don't worry, Orihime, I'm sure she'll be fine. Sayomi is too stubborn to just give up," Uryu reassured his teary eyed friend, glancing at the Kuchiki briefly who had snorted and turned his head away.

"I've been wondering," Orihime said quietly.

"Hmm," Uryu hummed, blinking at the concerned Orihime.

"Why did Sayomi go to Hueco Muendo, she wouldn't tell me? But I know she was trying to do something that she felt she had to do, she had that same look as Ichigo sometimes..."

Byakuya kept looking out the window, but his ears listened for what the Quincy would say.

"Originally, because she wanted to kill her brother, he was-"

"Ichimaru, one of the former captains," Orihime finished.

Uryu nodded before continuing. "I guess somewhere along the way her objectives changed because she told Urahara that she was no longer aiming for her brother, but Aizen and that she would do whatever it took to do that. It seems that he wanted Sayomi for himself, as a queen and Sayomi was going to give him exactly what he wanted so that she could get close enough to kill him. From what Ichigo said she told him earlier, Aizen killed her brother and in turn Sayomi tried to kill Aizen, but only managed to hurt him somehow, not kill him. What?" Uryu grumpily asked the nobleman that had turned to look at him with a thoughtful frown.

"That's impossible," Byakuya said evenly. "Her brother was here when she came through the garganta."

* * *

Please review!


	25. Chapter 25 Going Home

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**Going Home**

"What," Uryu asked, not sure he had just heard the Kuchiki correctly.

"Gin Ichimaru was in the world of the living at the time she was coming through the garganta. There's no way she could have witnessed his death, he wasn't even in Hueco Muendo," the captain explained.

"That makes no sense though," Uryu replied.

"It makes perfect sense," Byakuya countered evenly. "Aizen's zanpakuto has the ability of being able to make whoever sees its release see whatever he wants them to. It fools all the senses, she may very well have seen Aizen kill her brother, but it was nothing more than an illusion."

"But..but why," Orihime stammered. "Why would he do that to her?"

Byakuya sat silently for a moment, contemplating the reasons for Aizen to do such a thing to the woman he apparently wanted to make his lover. He couldn't come up with much, but he knew that the traitorous man was up to something and whatever it was Sayomi was a major player in it. Something told him that Sayomi had gotten in over her head, she may have had noble intentions, but she had obviously not realized just what Aizen had been capable of doing. The man had tried to murder his own lieutenant and wanted to recreate the King's Key in order to stand upon a throne no one had ever dared tried to take. He wasn't to be taken lightly, but Sayomi hadn't realized just how dangerous he was and now she was fighting for her life because of it.

* * *

"I'm a bit confused," Gin admitted, his usual smirk gone as he stood before Aizen. His accented, but always polite tone echoed through the large and rather messy great hall. "Why is it that Sayomi believes you killed me?"

"Because I did, Gin," Aizen replied the smallest hint of a smirk on his lips.

Gin frowned and cocked his head to the side. "I may be wrong, but didn't you want Sayomi to be your queen? If that were true then wouldn't ya want to make her trust you, not hate you?"

"She'll never trust me, Gin, you should know that by now and besides you don't like what I have planned for her, do you?"

"Can't say I'm pleased, she is my baby sister and all, but she's free to make her own decisions."

"And she'll choose me once she sees she has no other option."

"No other option," Gin repeated.

"How was your sister when she made it into the living world, Gin? Did she seem alright," Aizen asked.

Again Gin frowned and looked from Aizen to Ulquiorra who was beside him, still wearing the tattered and blood stained clothes he had worn when he had attacked Sayomi. "No, she seemed far from alright."

"Do you know what would happen to Sayomi if there was a direct attack on her soul? She's been living in a gigai for nearly a century, do you think that she could survive that?"

Gin remained silent for a moment, contemplating the words Aizen had said. "Only if the soul could be separated from the gigai, which could kill 'er instead."

"She won't die, Orihime won't let that happen," Aizen replied, a small smirk now apparent on his face.

"Ya let them leave? But Sayomi will be taken back to Soul Society and killed," Gin pointed out.

"Right, but they won't have a chance to kill her. We'll retrieve her before that, hopefully then she'll be a bit more well mannered."

The silver haired man made no attempt to reply, there was no point in replying. Sayomi would be made to look every bit the traitor everyone thought she was and then she really wouldn't have anywhere else to go but here and there was nothing he, a traitor himself could do about it. She would be forced to live her life beside a man who would just as soon torture her and play with her life and emotions for entertainment as he would take her body for his own, but he'd likely be gentle then and only then.

* * *

"It's been two days, there's no sign she is ever going to wake up. Byakuya is getting impatient, he wants to take her back to the Soul Society, now," Yoruichi told Urahara as she took a seat opposite him at the little round table he was drinking a cup of tea at with Ichigo, Uryu and Renji.

"You know," he began slowly, cautiously, well aware that no one was going to like his suggestion. "Letting him take her might not be such a bad idea."

"What the hell are you saying, Urahara," Ichigo argued promptly. "They'll kill her!"

"No," Yoruichi spoke up. "Not right away anyway. They want information and they won't kill her before getting it."

"She needs to regain her strength and Soul Society is the best place for her to do that. There is an abundance of spirit particles and energy there after all," Kisuke said.

"But she'll be in danger there!" Ichigo argued.

"She's going to be in danger wherever she goes Ichigo, which is why she needs to regain her strength," Uryu pointed out calmly.

"Yeah, but.."

"It doesn't matter what you think, Ichigo Kurosaki, she will be coming with me," Byakuya stated evenly, his gray eyes on the orange haired teen as he stepped regally into the small dining area. "We're leaving tonight, I'm not waiting any longer."

"You can't just take her!" Ichigo shouted, glaring heatedly at the stoic captain.

"Yes, I can. Sayomi is coming with me to the Soul Society tonight, where she'll face whatever punishment the head captain deems fit for her treachery," Byakuya replied.

Ichigo slammed his hands down on the table, slopping tea and water from the cups onto its wooden surface. He looked around at everyone there to see if anyone would speak out, but no one did. Uryu pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked away while both Yoruichi and Kisuke studied their tea, Renji just sat there silently, but Ichigo hadn't expected much more than that from him, he had to follow orders after all. He shoved himself up from the table and began to walk out. "Some friends you are," he grumbled at them before leaving.

He paid little attention to his surroundings as he walked, scowling at the ground and kicking the occasional rock or piece of trash from his path. When Ichigo finally came to a stop and looked around to see just where he was, he was fairly surprised to find himself standing in front of an empty space that the warehouse that housed the others like Sayomi and himself stood, hidden by kido. With a sigh, Ichigo scratched at his head and tried to figure out what to do now, he couldn't get through the barrier on his own and he somehow doubted that anyone would let him in. So it surprised him when he saw Shinji poke his head through a part of the barrier and nod towards where the warehouse stood.

Following after the blond silently, Ichigo stuck his hands in his pockets and took a look around to make sure no one was nearby. As soon as he walked into the old and dilapidated building, Ichigo could sense the tension and curiosity in the air as everyone gathered in the makeshift living area looked away from what they had been doing to stare expectantly at him.

"Uh, hey," Ichigo greeted lamely, not really sure what else to say as Shinji plopped down on the couch with an exaggerated sigh.

"So what's on your mind, Ichigo, I doubt you came all the way here just to say hey," Shinji observed.

"It's about Sayomi," he began uncertainly. He wasn't sure how everyone here felt about her, he knew Shinji believed her to be trustworthy still, but he also remembered the oddball saying that there were others who weren't too happy with her.

"What about her," Hiyori grunted disinterestedly, picking some crumbs from her white shirt.

"She's being taken back to Soul Society tonight," Ichigo answered.

This seemed to peak several people's interest. Kensei straightened a little, while Lisa's eyes narrowed for a moment and Shinji cocked his head to the side to study Ichigo.

"The Kuchiki's takin' her," Shinji inquired.

"Yeah."

"What exactly happened the other day, Ichigo, when she came back," Shinji asked.

The teen shook his head. "I don't really know. She said that Aizen had killed her brother and she had attacked him and managed to wound him."

"But that's impossible, her brother was here in Karakura Town," Kensei said.

"I know. That's what Renji said, but she definitely thought he was dead."

"It was just an illusion, Aizen was playing her and she never saw it," Shinji spoke up a frown taking residence on his face.

"That's what everyone seems to think," Ichigo agreed. "But no one can figure out why she would have been so badly injured, it wasn't him to do it, it was a strong hollow according to Urahara, probably an Espada member. If he really wanted her for a queen like she told Urahara, then why would he kill her? It doesn't make any sense."

"It might," Kensei replied, slowly. "You said it was a hollow that attacked her, judging by what we all felt, she was messed up pretty bad. How was she hurt?"

"There was a big hole in her chest and whoever attacked her poured a bunch of their reiatsu into the wound, that's what Urahara said anyway," Ichigo answered.

"A direct attack on her soul, huh," Shinji mused, letting his head fall back onto the fading and torn cushions of the couch.

"But that would mean..." Kensei trailed off, his eyes widening as he stood quickly from the table, knocking over the chair he was in in his haste.

"Calm down, Kensei," Shinji drawled. "She ain't dead, you should be able to tell that much. Kisuke separated her soul from the gigai, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he said it was the only way to heal the damage."

"He's a fool," Kensei retorted, picking up the chair he knocked over and slumping into it. "He just did exactly what Aizen wanted."

"Huh," Ichigo asked, his face twisting in confusion.

"Think about it, Ichigo, what good would Sayomi be to Aizen while in that gigai? He's a soul, she was essentially a human. Not exactly compatible if ya know what I mean," Shinji pointed out, lazily flapping a hand in the air.

"But...but then why hasn't he come to get her?"

"He's waiting for something," Lisa spoke up for the first time.

Everyone nodded their agreement with the glasses wearing girl.

"What," Ichigo pressed.

"Probably for her to be taken back to Soul Society. It wouldn't be hard for him to get in and it would make Sayomi seem to be the traitor everyone there thinks she is. She'll have nowhere left to go, at least that's what he'll want her to think and she'll believe it," Kensei answered, his voice shaking with anger as he struggled to remain calm. He was pissed off at Sayomi for what she had done and even more pissed off that there was nothing any of them could do to help her, it would put them all at risk of being discovered by Soul Society and that was something they couldn't afford to do. A group of eight against the entirety of the Gotei 13 had very slim odds of succeeding.

"Then shouldn't we stop her from being taken to Soul Society," Ichigo asked.

"'We'," Shinji repeated.

"Well yeah-"

"We can't do anything, it's too risky. If you want to stop him from taking her, that's on you," Kensei said.

"But you're her friends," Ichigo argued.

"Yeah, but she wouldn't want us tryin' to help her and put ourselves at risk. They won't kill her and Aizen will get her back before they have a chance to even try," Shinji replied seriously. "Sayomi's a big girl, Ichigo, she can take care of herself."

"Unbelievable," Ichigo snorted, shaking his head and glaring at the room full of people who had claimed to be friends of Sayomi's, but who wouldn't help her. "Fine," he snapped, turning on his heel and stomping towards the roll up door. "If no one else is going to help her, then I will."

"Good luck, Ichigo," Shinji sighed, pulling his hat over his eyes and folding his arms over his chest.

* * *

Sayomi was still asleep when Ichigo returned to Urahara's. Orihime was sitting with her, staring sadly at her as the girl slept. She had brushed out Sayomi's long hair and braided it over her shoulder where it rested on a clean white sleeping robe she and Yoruichi had put on her, discarding the old and tattered uniform she had worn.

"Do you think she'll be alright," Orihime asked meekly, looking pleadingly up at Ichigo.

The boy frowned. "I hope so. Sayomi's pretty strong, she'll get through this, Orihime, don't worry."

"I know she'll be fine, but...do you really think that they'll kill her? She didn't do anything wrong."

"I know and I don't plan on letting them kill her. I'm going to Soul Society to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Then I'm going with you."

Both Ichigo and Orihime started slightly at the voice that had suddenly come from the doorway. Turning towards the door, they saw Uryu standing there casually.

"Why, I thought you didn't want to help her?" Ichigo asked harshly.

"I never said that," Uryu replied, walking into the room and sitting down on the wooden flooring a good distance away from the other three occupants of the room. "Urahara is right, Sayomi would likely heal quicker in a place where there's more spirit energy and that's what she needs right now. I also know that if you go alone, you'll just cause too much trouble and probably get the both of you killed, you need someone level headed there."

"I'll go too," Orihime chirped.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Uryu replied. "Soul Society was ready to write you off as a traitor too, it might be better to just lay low for a little while."

"He's right Orihime, it's not safe for you to go there right now," Ichigo agreed.

Orihime looked down at her hands in that she had folded in her lap. Her thoughts drifting to how much of a burden she always was, even though she only wanted to help.

"But wait a sec," Ichigo said, a confused look crossing his face as he turned to Uryu. "You don't have any powers, you're kinda useless."

Uryu scowled darkly at his friend before straightening up and smugly pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'll have you know, I got my powers back recently or did you not notice me being gone for most of the last few weeks?"

"I just figured you were out being a loner somewhere," Ichigo answered with a shrug.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no," Uryu replied moodily.

"Well excuse me," Ichigo drawled. "It's not like you told us what you were doing."

"It was none of your concern."

"Whatever."

"Why don't you two stop bickering like an old married couple," Yoruichi taunted from the door, sauntering inside with a cat like grin on her face as the two boys glared at her. "Say your goodbyes, Byakuya's ready to go."

It was several minutes later that Ichigo stood beside Uryu and Orihime with Kisuke and Yoruichi off to the side while Byakuya picked up the motionless white haired woman and his lieutenant thrust his zanpakuto into the air, part of the blade disappearing as he muttered a command under his breath. A set of sliding wooden doors appeared in front of the red head and as soon as they slid open to reveal another set, Byakuya turned towards the doors wordlessly and stepped through the first set with Sayomi in his arms, Renji followed a moment later and the doors slid shut with a quiet clack before disappearing entirely.

"So," Kisuke said conversationally, grinning knowingly at Ichigo. "I take it you want me to get you back into Soul Society, right?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to let them kill her for something stupid. She's not a traitor and it wasn't her choice to become..something else," Ichigo replied determinedly.

* * *

Head captain Yamamoto had been expecting the arrival of Byakuya, Renji and Sayomi, so it was no surprise to the old man when the wooden doors of a senkaimon appeared several feet in front of his large, neat desk. His silver haired lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe stood beside him silently as the doors slid open to reveal two men, one of which was carrying a small white haired girl in his arms. Since this too was expected, the old man behind the desk nodded minutely to someone who was standing off to the side of the room.

A woman with long black hair that was twisted into a braid over her chest in a long white haori bowed slightly and turned to walk to the large set of double doors, opening one she gestured to three people who stood outside. One was a young woman with short silvery hair and a white sash tied around her left arm, she was followed by two nervous looking young men who were pushing a padded gurney. They avoided looking at the old and wrinkled, but still quite intimidating head captain as they scurried towards the Sixth division captain who was carrying the unconscious girl they were to take to a special cell within the first division that was reinforced with seki seki stone to not only keep Sayomi from being able to sense spirit energy, but from using any as well.

Placing Sayomi on the gurney, Byakuya remained silent as the Fourth division's lieutenant and the two pushing the gurney walked out of the room, but not before captain Unohana looked over her quickly and put a gentle hand above her brow. There was a small green glow, but nothing else seemed to happen. The whole thing was just to ensure that Sayomi would remain asleep while she was transported to the cell since it was impossible for her lieutenant and other squad members to even try to stand against the former captain.

"From the reports the Twelfth division have given me in your recent contact with them I've been able to gather that the former Tenth division captain has been in that state for several days," Yamamoto began, his voice carrying through the entire large room that was his office. "I also understand that you allowed her to be treated by Kisuke Urahara instead of bringing her here immediately. Why?"

Captain Kuchiki didn't blink or falter under the slight amount of irritation the old man before him was giving off. "Urahara believed that bringing her immediately would have killed her in the state she was in which would have made it impossible to get any information from her."

"I see," Yamamoto replied. "Do you think she'll wake up, Unohana?"

"I need to have a better look at her, but as far as I can tell she's just too weak at the moment. Her soul has sustained quite a bit of damage," the captain answered in her soft voice.

"I don't want her moved from the cell she's been assigned, have Soi Fon assign guards to watch her at all times, it would probably also be best to have her spirit energy completely repressed."

Unohana was dismissed shortly after, as was Renji, leaving Byakuya alone with the head captain and his lieutenant. The black haired noble fully expected to be reprimanded for taking his time in bringing Sayomi to the Soul Society, he knew that Yamamoto wasn't pleased with the wait, but at the same time if the old man wanted information from Sayomi, which Byakuya knew she would willing give, then the man had to be patient. Patience, however was running thin in the Seireitei.

"I understand that you saw Gin Ichimaru while in Karakura Town," Yamamoto stated.

Byakuya nodded stiffly. "Yes, he had been sent there by Aizen to apparently find out how far along Urahara was on building the pillars."

"You don't believe that was the reason he was there though, do you?"

"No. It is my opinion that he was sent away from Los Noches so that Aizen could lure Sayomi in to a trap, she believes her brother is dead and that Aizen killed him."

"And you will let her continue to believe that," Yamamoto said, his scratchy voice ringing with authority. "She is an abomination and after she has given us what we want, she will be dealt with. She joined Aizen of her own free will, she is a traitor captain Kuchiki, don't forget that. You may go."

Knowing better than to say anything further since he was clearly being dismissed, Byakuya bowed and turned to leave the room. He wanted to uphold the laws of Soul Society, protect them like he had promised his parents, but as a certain orange haired annoying teen had reminded him, the laws weren't always right. He had begun to believe what everyone else at the Urahara Shoten had believed, Sayomi wasn't a traitor. She was just too stubborn and headstrong for her own good.

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Please review!


	26. Chapter 26 Cages

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

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**Chapter 26**

**Cages**

To be engulfed in a darkness so intense that you feel as if it will never end is not a very enjoyable sensation, regardless of whether you are alone or not. However, when you're trapped in that darkness with the side of yourself you would rather keep hidden from the world, it's even less enjoyable.

Sayomi was trapped in her own world of never ending blackness, she had full use of all of her senses and her limbs, but there was no real point in using them, for though she could see, she could only see the black emptiness around her. There was nowhere to go, no one to talk to, nothing at all to do. At first anyways, but over time she became aware of another a presence.

The first thing she became aware of was the sound of heavy chains clinking together quietly every few minutes, but the sound grew louder over time. Not only could she hear the chains clearly, but she was now able to hear the distinct sounds of someone, or more accurately, some_thing_ breathing not more than fifteen feet in front of her. The breathing was heavier than would be normal for a human, but then Sayomi already knew that the thing she could hear _wasn't_ human, but a demon she had long ago beat into submission and had then chained to the deepest corner of her mind, never to be set free.

She remained sitting where she was in the midst of the darkness, waiting, her eyes trained on a spot in front of her. She felt an odd sort of pull in her chest that was accompanied by an intense amount of pain that made her hunch over, clutching at her chest and taking deep, wheezing breaths. Her body felt as if it where being torn in two, she cried out in pain and the sensation suddenly vanished, replaced by a strange airy, light feeling that was oddly refreshing, but also discomforting because it made her feel weaker than she had felt in a very long time.

A strange golden glow began to permeate the darkness that she had settled herself into to and it didn't take long for the blackness to begin to lift as if it had been nothing more than a dense fog all along. As her surroundings lightened, she kept her pale blue eyes focused on the same spot she had been staring at for however long she had been in the darkness.

The only common factor the being in front of her had with a human was the form it took, but that was it. The slanted, narrow feline like eyes that almost seemed to glow a blood red as they hungrily stared at Sayomi while sharp, pointed teeth smashed together in a snarl, were anything but human. As was the deathly white skin and the sharpened black nails on the hands that were more like claws as they flexed repeatedly in the being's lap. In many ways the thing resembled Sayomi, it was definitely female judging by the thinness of its body and the obvious curves beneath the tattered black robes it wore. There was also a resemblance in the structure of their faces and the color of their hair, but that was where the similarities ended.

Sayomi remained completely still, her chest rising and falling with every silent breath she took as she and the other woman locked eyes and simply stared at one another. She could feel the contempt that the animal like woman across from her had for her and she could feel her anger growing with every second that she stared into the red eyes that watched her just as intently as she was watching her.

A low rumble began to vibrate within the chest of the woman that was chained to the wall, her wrists and ankles in large, heavy iron shackles. The rumble became a growl as the creature began to lift herself from her sitting position into a sort of crouch. The chains scratched against the floor and groaned in protest as the woman tried to reach for Sayomi, snarling and growling like a rabid animal all the while.

Still Sayomi didn't move or make any sound as she kept her eyes on the demon in front of her.

There was a hiss of anger from the creature's lips before she again thrust a hand at Sayomi, but this time the metal plate holding the chains that held her right arm to the wall gave out, clattering loudly to the floor with the bolts that had held it in place.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed, but she didn't move or show any other emotion.

With one of her arms free, the woman chuckled lowly, a deep, dark rumble like the sound of an earthquake. She then sneered at Sayomi, baring her pointed teeth at her as she paced in the small amount of room she was free to move around in, her head fluidly turning each time she turned around, her eyes staying on Sayomi's still form.

How much time had passed, Sayomi had no idea, but she could sense that she was growing weaker while the woman that had crouched down to leer at her, was growing stronger. As if sensing her thoughts, the woman started tugging at the chain that held her right ankle. There was a loud snapping sound before another deep chuckle echoed through the area, that was followed by the sound of something falling to the floor.

Trying to remain completely relaxed, Sayomi watched the woman stand up, smirking over its shoulder at her now that not only was her right arm no longer bound to the wall even if the chains were still attached, but her right leg was now free. Testing out her new amount of freedom, the woman took a step towards Sayomi, who impassively remained on the floor. Not able to get much closer to her prey, the creature growled in spite, straining to move forward despite the bonds that still held her. The chains creaked against the pressure they were being put under, bending and warping until finally the link that was attached to the shackle on her left arm snapped.

Sayomi was beginning to grow tense as she sat there, motionlessly watching the demon she had banished from her mind slowly coming free of her bonds, but at the moment, she was powerless and she knew it. Her energy was draining away, it was like she had been bitten by a vampire who instead of taking her blood was draining all of her strength. She kept all of her senses and her awareness and she was aware that it wouldn't be much longer before the thing in front of her that had gone back to pacing would be completely free and she could also sense that she wouldn't last long in a fight with her and that was when she began to start fidgeting restlessly.

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Three nights had past since Sayomi had been taken to Soul Society and still she slept, giving no sign of ever waking. Ichigo and Uryu had arrived shortly after Sayomi had been placed in her cell, they were spending most of their time with their friend and the rest at the Kuchiki manor with Rukia, much to Byakuya's annoyance. The noble didn't have much time to spare for his uninvited visitors though, he was too caught up in the reports that were coming and going concerning Sayomi's capture and the circumstances surrounding it.

It was a cool and quiet night, the moon was just a small sliver of white in the sky and the stars shined brightly in the velvety blackness above. There was a soft wind sighing through the streets and walkways of the Sixth division as Byakuya stepped out of his office, his black hair getting caught up in the wind and blowing elegantly out behind him. Adjusting his scarf, the man took a single step and disappeared.

"You come here almost every night, captain Kuchiki, but you never say anything to her, why is that," captain Unohana asked quietly as she stepped up beside her fellow captain, her tiny hands clasped in front of her as the two gazed through the bars of the cell that housed Sayomi's unconscious body.

"I have nothing to say to her, she's dead to me."

"Then I wonder why you go through the trouble of looking in on her," Unohana replied with a small knowing smile before nodding to a guard that stood off to the side who bustled forward to unlock the cell door for the healer.

Byakuya remained silent as he watched the gentle woman take a seat beside Sayomi and lay a small hand on the sleeping woman's brow. There was a small twitch of Sayomi's hands and a small groan that made Unohana withdraw her hand and stand up to get a better look at the woman on the bed.

"Sayomi, can you hear me," Unohana asked softly.

Sayomi's eyes squeezed shut even tighter then they already were and her hands fisted around the blankets that covered. Another groan leaked from her lips and she tossed her head to the side, away from Unohana.

Looking over her shoulder, Unohana spoke to the man who had yet to leave. "Maybe you should say something, captain Kuchiki, you two were close once, maybe she'll wake up for you."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but as I said, I have nothing to say to her," Byakuya replied evenly.

There was a soft whimper from Sayomi as she writhed in the bed she was laid out upon. It was a moment after she had begun writhing that a single tear slipped from beneath her closed eyelids, this didn't escape Byakuya's notice, but he pretended not to have seen it and turned away from the women in the cell and left. Captain Unohana sighed as the man left, he wasn't as unreadable as he thought he was, he was worried about what would happen to the woman he had once loved and in truth, so was she. She agreed with Ukitake that it just didn't seem fair for her to be persecuted for something she had no control over, but it wasn't her place to question the orders of those above her.

Sayomi didn't wake that night, but she was more active than she had been. She tossed and turned all night, whimpering or crying out every so often. Her forehead was covered in a thin film of sweat, a reaction from the bad dreams and visions that were plaguing her. Unohana sat with her all night, patting her forehead with a cool cloth and talking soothingly to her in an attempt to try and get the girl to wake, but to no avail.

Both Uryu and Ichigo showed up not long after the sun had risen over the Seireitei. Soul Reapers were busy rushing to and fro in order to get their day's work started as the two made their way to the white washed building that Sayomi was being held in. There were masked guards everywhere and both boys knew that it was likely there were several more hidden throughout the area to watch over the former Soul Reaper that was being locked in the building they had just entered.

"Good morning, captain Unohana," Uryu greeted politely as he and Ichigo approached the cell Sayomi was in.

"Oh, good morning," the woman replied, turning to smile kindly at them. "I'm glad you two are here."

"Is she alright," Ichigo asked quickly.

"She's fine, but she's been tossing and turning all night. I believe she's trying to wake, but she needs a little help from someone she knows, perhaps the two of you would sit and talk with her. I have some things I need to attend to."

"We'll stay with her," Uryu replied.

"Good, I'll let the guards know and have Isane check on you soon," Unohana said, standing from the chair she had been in all night. "She seems to be having some bad dreams and that's nothing to worry about, but if she wakes up or begins to get feverish or seems like she's in pain, tell the guards immediately."

"Will do," Ichigo nodded, entering the cell with Uryu as Unohana was let out. He frowned when they were locked in, but he hadn't expected them to just leave the door open either.

Uryu took the seat beside Sayomi while Ichigo sat down on the ground, crossing his legs and leaning into the cold stone wall.

"So...what are we supposed to talk about? It's not like we have any good things to tell her," Ichigo said, propping his chin up with the palm of his hand.

"Except we do, her brother, remember?"

"Yeah, but I don't think that's a good idea. We were told not to tell her about that," Ichigo replied.

"Since when do I take orders from Soul Reapers," Uryu sniffed haughtily.

"Whatever, but it's probably best we don't tell her anyways, everyone else here is going to let her think he's dead. It would make us look like liars."

"You're forgetting that she actually trusts us."

"No she doesn't," Ichigo shot back. "If she trusted us she wouldn't have gone off to Hueco Muendo all on her own and she would have told us what was going on. Orihime even said she thinks we all hate her, she's not going to believe us."

"She may not believe you, but she'd believe me," Uryu retorted.

"Yeah, whatever," the orange haired teen sighed.

There was a small sound from the girl on the bed and both boys whipped their heads towards her. Her brows had drawn together and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, her hands were clenching and clenching while her lips moved almost imperceptibly.

"Sayomi," Uryu asked quietly.

"...U..yu.."

"Is she waking up," Ichigo questioned, shoving himself off the floor to walk closer to the bed.

"I don't know," Uryu replied with a frown.

Her pale lips moved again, but there was no sound this time.

"Can you hear me, Sayomi? Can you open your eyes," Uryu prodded gently.

Her face twitched, her lips pulling into what looked like a frown before she relaxed and her blue eyes fluttered open as she sucked in a large gulp of air. She blinked several times to clear the fog that had settled over her though her thoughts remained muddled and confused. She could hear two people talking, but their voices were distant, like they weren't even in the same room. Struggling to pull herself out of the darkness that had been her world for several days, Sayomi let her eyes focus on the blurry image in front of her. When her vision cleared enough for her to make out that there was someone looming extremely close to her face, her eyes widened in surprise and she tried to scoot away, but ended up smashing her head into the person's nose instead. There was a shout of pain followed by a string of curses and a sigh that sounded very familiar to her.

Looking around again now that her vision was a bit clearer, Sayomi was extremely confused to find herself in a sort of cell with two people who looked very familiar.

"Uryu, Ichigo," she questioned shakily.

"You're awake," Uryu said with a smile.

"About damn time," Ichigo grumbled, rubbing at his nose with a sour look on his face.

She tried to push herself up, but couldn't find the strength to get herself more than a few inches from her pillow before she collapsed again. With a groan, she attempted to raise a hand to her forehead to wipe away the sweat she could feel there, but she froze, her eyes staring at her wrist with a mix of uncertainty and realization. There was a red band strapped to each of her wrists, they were connected with a another bond and it didn't take her long to figure out it's purpose, she felt her throat then and wasn't surprised to feel that there was also something there as well.

"Sayomi."

Gasping, she turned to stare wide eyed at Uryu, trying to speak, but only able to move her mouth and not form any words as she took in the cell she was in more fully. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in and tried to summon even the smallest amount of spiritual energy, but failed. She almost panicked, it had been a very long time since she had been without some way to defend herself and not being able to feel any of her spirit energy was quite disconcerting.

'Fuyukaze,' she whispered into the recesses of her mind.

'_I'm here little hime, now just calm down_,' the familiar airy and masculine voice assured her.

Sayomi breathed out in a rush, relief flooding her at the sound of her most trusted friend's voice. 'We're home again, aren't we?'

'_Yes, we're home again_.'

"Ichigo, tell the guard to get Unohana," Uryu said worriedly when Sayomi wouldn't respond to his repeated tries to get her attention.

"So," Sayomi said when she reopened her eyes, startling both Uryu and Ichigo with the sound of her voice. She no longer sounded weak and shaky, but she did sound completely blank as she sat up with a small wince. "When am I scheduled to die?"

All the two in the cell with her could do was blink at her, they didn't know how to reply to the abrupt question or the way she suddenly seemed completely different from the person they knew. She was too closed off and cold in the way she sat there watching them with no emotion at all. Before Uryu could even try to say that they had no intention of letting her die, they were interrupted by captain Unohana who had been summoned to the cell by the guards as well as the first division's lieutenant Sasakibe.

"I'm glad to see that you're finally awake dear, how do you feel," Unohana asked, gently brushing past Ichigo and Uryu.

Sayomi stared at the woman evenly, but refused to answer her question as she looked over at Sasakibe who was watching her closely, studying her.

"I don't understand something, Byakuya was in the living world when I arrived, was he not? I was already half dead, why is that I'm still alive if his orders were to kill me?" Sayomi asked, ignoring the question she had been asked.

"His orders were not to kill you," Sasakibe answered her seriously.

"Really? Why is that," Sayomi asked in mock confusion.

"You're more useful alive," the man replied.

"And what makes you think I'll want to be of use to you when you plan on killing me regardless of whether or not I'm useful?"

"What makes you think you have a choice," another voice answered.

Sayomi took in a small breath before letting her blue eyes drift to the figure of the man that had just walked up to the bars of her cell.

"Hello Byakuya," she said after a short silence, her blue eyes meeting his stony gaze coldly.

"Sayomi," the man replied, inclining his head to her slightly in a mocking gesture of respect.

Gritting her teeth, she turned her head away and refused to acknowledge anyone else, choosing instead to block them out and focus on the dull gray stone walls of her prison. She knew what it meant for her to be back in Soul Society and she knew that she likely wouldn't live much longer and part of her honestly didn't care anymore. Her eyes stared at the walls that she knew were reinforced with Seki Seki stone, she could feel the shackles and the choker on her throat and the effect they were having on her already weakened spirit energy. It had been such a long time since she had been in her true form as nothing more than a soul that she was weak and felt strange, her usually extremely sensitive senses were practically useless and it made her uncomfortable.

"Inform captain Yamamoto that she is awake, she'll likely need to be moved to a more suitable location," Sasakibe told one of the masked guards.

Sayomi scowled, she knew what he meant by more suitable. Somewhere where even the smallest amount of spirit energy she could still feel would be useless, somewhere that would render her completely and utterly helpless.

"That won't be necessary," a gravelly and aged voice said from behind the gray haired man.

The new arrival drew Sayomi's attention away from the wall, her blue eyes searched for the source of the voice, her head rising and her shoulders squaring almost instinctively. She saw the bearded and wrinkled old man walk forward with the help of his knobby wooden staff and take up a spot between Sasakibe and Byakuya, his hooded eyes firmly planted on Sayomi's still body.

"The charges against you are quite serious, Sayomi Himura. Treason and desertion, among other things," the old man said evenly.

"Captain Yamamoto, do you not mean to move her from this cell," Sasakibe asked.

"I believe that she'll behave and do as she's told, won't you former squad Ten captain and heiress to the Himura fortune?"

Sayomi's hands clenched in her lap, but she took a deep breath and respectfully lowered her eyes and dropped her head. "Yes captain general Yamamoto."

"Sayomi..."

She looked up at Uryu and smiled forlornly before lowering her gaze back to the floor.

"I remember her being quite dedicated to her mother and father, I don't believe she'd like to disgrace them or their name further," the head captain said firmly.

Her her lips pursed and her teeth ground together at the mention of her adoptive parents and the rather callous remark, but Sayomi said nothing as tears pricked at her blue eyes and she stubbornly refused to let the hurt that remark had caused her show.

"Summon all of the captains and their lieutenants, it's time Ms Himura was reintroduced to them." Yamamoto turned stiffly away from them all and took his leave.

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Please review!


	27. Chapter 27 Guilt Before Innocence

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach, yay me!

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**Chapter 27**

**Guilt Before Innocence**

Sayomi walked with her head held high and with as much of a noble air as she could manage despite the fact that her hands were bound together behind her back, a band of yellow light having connected the red bands on her wrists together and four more of the same yellow rope like objects sprouting from the red band around her neck. The end of each of the ropes were held by men in white robes with their faces covered as they walked around her. They were walking to the great hall in the court of pure souls where all of the captains and lieutenants were now gathered.

It was meant to be a walk of shame, in which she was paraded in front of the people whom she had once been allied with, people who cared about her, but now thought of her as nothing but a traitor. She was in nothing more than a flimsy white robe and obi and her feet were bare, the only embellishment was her bracelet that no one had thought to take and she had no intention of parting with.

She took a small breath as they approached the large set of gleaming white doors that led in to the hall and held herself just a little taller as they began to swing open. The room was long with a sort of platform at the far end that the old head captain stood upon, bent over his wooden staff that he was never without. The long walkway between the door was lined on either side with the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13, Sayomi didn't fail to notice that three captains were missing, their spaces yet to be filled so only the lieutenants stood in the spot where their captains should have stood.

One of the solitary lieutenants caught her eye, a young man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He had several tattoos on his exposed arms, neck and even his face. It was the tattoo on his left cheek that drew her attention, a large number 69. It struck her as odd and reminded her of the 69 on Kensei's abdomen, he had gotten it because he was from the 69th district of the Rukongai, but she wondered why the young man would have the same number tattooed on his cheek, it seemed odd.

Several of the people in the room she recognized, captains Ukitake and Kyoraku for instance, she managed weak smiles for the two men, chuckling to herself when Kyoraku winked at her and tipped his straw hat at her, earning him a sideways glance from his lieutenant, who she couldn't help but feel was familiar to her also. She saw Matsumoto who was watching her sadly and the young man that stood with her, part of Sayomi didn't even think the boy could be called a young man, he didn't look to be over fifteen. She blinked at him, realizing that if Matsumoto was beside him he had to be the captain of the Tenth squad, she remembered seeing him in Karakura town when she had gone the first time to see Urahara under Aizen's orders and she remembered noting that he was in fact a captain, but it hadn't fully registered at the time. She was struck by the fact that the boy had white hair and very bright teal-green eyes that seemed to be regarding her as if she were just a nuisance and he had better things to be doing than being stuck in a room with a traitor.

She stopped walking when she was directly in front of the boy, her icy blue eyes locking onto his, she saw Matsumoto fidget, but the busty woman didn't say anything as Sayomi studied the boy.

"What is your name, boy," Sayomi inquired in a demanding and arrogant voice, smirking inwardly when the boy gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya," he answered stiffly.

Sayomi sniffed pompously. "And since when do they allow children to become captains?"

Hitsugaya glared at her, growling softly, but doing nothing else as her guards tried to tug her forward once again.

"Hey Ukitake," captain Kyoraku called in a mock conspiratorial whisper to his old friend who hummed and looked over at the other captain in his flowery pink haori. "Is it just me, or do those two look like they could be related? I mean, white hair, both are short and-"

"Who are you calling short?!" Both Sayomi and Hitsugaya snapped at the man only to end up glaring at each other again.

"Same short temper," Kyoraku chuckled.

"You do have a point, Shunsui, however, I don't think now is the time," Ukitake replied, nodding towards where Yamamoto stood, patiently it seemed waiting for Sayomi to be brought before him, but judging by the slight flicker of annoyance in the reiatsu that he had just released, was anything, but patient.

"We are not here to talk amongst ourselves, we are here to discuss what to do with the traitor that now stands before you," Yamamoto proclaimed, his reiatsu flaring momentarily to display his displeasure.

The sudden rise in reiatsu, though it wasn't significant, was still enough to make Sayomi who was still weak and unable to call upon any of her own to take a deep breath in surprise. She forgot about the white haired boy beside her and let herself be led to the center of the room to stand before the aged head captain. Her four guards remained in place around her as she proudly squared her shoulders and took a calming breath while looking at Yamamoto.

"Sayomi Himura, also known as Sayomi Ichimaru, you already know of the charges against you as does everyone present," Yamamoto began, addressing the entire room with a voice that sounded worn and aged. "You are here to provide us with information about the traitors Sosuke Aizen, Kaname Tosen and Gin Ichimaru. If you do not cooperate we will find another method with which to get answers from you, do you understand?"

Sayomi nodded her head obediently. "Yes captain general Yamamoto."

"Good, then we'll get straight to the point. What do you know of Aizen's plans?"

"Very little," Sayomi replied honestly. "I know he intends to attack the four pillars that Kisuke is building and that he plans on doing what no one else has ever dared and try to sit upon the heavens as a supreme ruler. I don't know any specifics though."

"I find that hard to believe since he wanted to take you as his queen," Yamamoto challenged.

"With all due respect, you may believe what you want, sir, but it's the truth. He didn't trust me, he never gave me any information, just orders."

"Why would he give you orders if he didn't trust you, why would he want you as his queen if he didn't trust you," a short, thin dark haired woman asked harshly.

Letting her eyes corner over to the woman who had spoken, Sayomi saw that she was a captain, one who looked very familiar. "Soi Fon, wasn't it? To answer your question, men like Aizen don't feel they need to trust the woman they choose to be by their side. To him I wouldn't have been a comrade, but a toy, something he only used for pleasure."

"Which from what I've heard, you wouldn't have minded," Soi Fon sniffed haughtily.

Sayomi's jaw clenched. "If you could kill that bastard and all you had to do was climb in to bed with him and forget your pride for a few minutes, would you?"

The small captain grimaced in disgust before turning away.

"I thought so," Sayomi stated roughly.

"Our information says that you betrayed all of your friends and joined Aizen, many of them seem to believe that you didn't betray them, but that you were only trying to kill your brother who you feel has wronged you. Yet you aren't the one who killed him, Aizen did according to your words to Ichigo Kurosaki. Sounds to me like the traitor did you a favor, so why would you want to kill him?"

Turning her head to look over her shoulder to look at the man who had spoken, Sayomi couldn't entirely hide the hurt in her eyes when they met Byakuya's.

"You're right, it does sound like he did me a favor, but I had changed my mind. I no longer wanted my brother dead, but the man who made my brother, my once caring and loving brother a killer and a traitor, to pay for what he had done to him, to me and the eight others that went out to protect Soul Society that night. I wanted revenge on the man responsible and that man was Aizen."

"She must be lying," a high pitched, strange sounding voice said.

Switching her attention from Byakuya to the masked captain of the Twelfth division, Sayomi remained quiet. It didn't matter what she said, she already knew she wouldn't be believed and she knew that in the end, she'd pay the ultimate price for it. Too many people here feared things they didn't understand, she was one of those things and Soul Society had never been known for easily accepting anything that wasn't ordinary in their eyes.

"She obviously wants us to believe that she's not the traitor that she is, I say you hand her over to me, her make up is unique and I'd like to perform a few tests. I'm sure I could have her talking in no time," the captain finished.

"That won't be necessary captain Kurotsuchi," Yamamoto replied. "So far her words are consistent with the reports I have been given. That isn't to say that I believe her though. Another question, the eight others that disappeared that night, are they still alive and where are they?"

Sayomi ignored the question, instead choosing to focus her attention on the marble flooring. Her fists clenched and her breathing became strained as a heavy pressure began to push upon her lungs. The head captain was quite serious about getting an answer and the longer Sayomi refused to give it to him, the heavier the pressure on her chest became until she fell to her knees, sweat coating her forehead as she grimaced from the pain, panting for breath as she continued to stare at the flooring.

"Answer me."

Still Sayomi refused to speak and gritted her teeth together to keep from crying out as the pressure on her body intensified and all air was knocked from her lungs. After several more agonizing minutes the pressure subsided and Sayomi sucked a deep breath, some color beginning to instantly return to her deathly pale cheeks. Her entire body was weak and she could hardly move as she panted and gasped for breath on the cold tile of the hall.

"I see that you have decided to be difficult, then so be it. Take her bracelet and return her to her cell, the rest of you are dismissed," Yamamoto ordered.

Sayomi's eyes widened at the command and looked up to see that none other than Byakuya was walking towards her. It struck her as ironic that the very man who had been there to help her tie the bracelet on for the first time would be the same one to take it from her. She eyed him wearily, holding her hands into her chest, she wouldn't give Fuyukaze up without a fight. The fact she would lose that fight in a second since she was powerless with all of her reiatsu being sealed by the bands on her wrists and neck, didn't matter to her, she wouldn't let her only friend go willingly.

"Let me see your wrist," Byakuya demanded, looking down at the girl on the floor who was stubbornly glaring at him. "Sayomi, either you give me the bracelet willingly-"

"Go to hell," she hissed.

Sighing, the noble stepped forward, the room was clearing out, the only people left where a concerned looking captain Ukitake and a curious captain Kyoraku. Byakuya was now less than a foot in front of Sayomi, whose chest was still rising and falling rapidly as she glared at him and brought her hands further into her chest.

"It would be better if you didn't resist, Sayomi, I do not wish to hurt you," Byakuya told her quietly, gently.

Her lips parted in a silent gasp as she stared up into the smoky eyes of the man she had once loved and was beginning to think that she maybe still did love. She could see the man she had fallen in love with in his eyes as he stared down at her, see that the cold front he had been putting up was just that, a front, an act. He was a noble and he was expected to act like one, just as she was.

Wrapping her hand around the silver link bracelet, Sayomi lowered her head and closed her eyes. 'I'm so sorry, Fuyukaze.'

_'You have nothing to be sorry for my little Sayomi-sama, nothing at all. I will always be with you_.'

Tears pricked at her eyes and she sniffed before pushing herself up from the ground, wobbling slightly as she stood up and once again proudly raised her head to meet Byakuya's gaze evenly, almost arrogantly. She pulled the blue ribbon that kept the bracelet secured on her wrist and with a small intake of breath, handed it to her former fiancé.

"Am I going to die?" She asked bluntly.

Byakuya's eyes widened for a brief moment in surprise. He closed his hand around the bracelet she had put in his hand, staring at his closed fist before looking up at her. "I don't know."

Sayomi nodded and took another deep breath, trying to maintain some sort of pride despite the situation she found herself in. "You said that my friends don't believe I betrayed them, who are you talking about? I did betray them, I attacked some of them."

"Yes well, it seems that it takes more than that for the Kurosaki brat and his friends to feel you've betrayed them. They had faith in you, but you've never had faith in yourself."

"Excuse us captain Kuchiki, but we must return her to her cell now," one of her four guards said.

Byakuya bowed his head in understanding, watching as Sayomi turned and was then led from the room.

* * *

"So...How'd it go," Ichigo asked tentatively.

"I'm a traitor, Ichigo, nothing is going to change their minds on that," Sayomi replied.

"But you did nothing wrong," he protested. "You were only trying to help!"

Sayomi sighed, bowing her head tiredly. Ichigo and Uryu had been pacing outside of her cell when she had been led inside, curious and tense about the proceedings of the meeting she had been taken to. Neither one was allowed in the cell now that she was awake and were forced to sit in uncomfortable wooden chairs or stand outside in order to talk to her.

"But I did. I abandoned my post here, my fiancé, my title, everything. I then betrayed the few people who cared about me to try and kill someone I felt had wronged me," she finally answered.

"But that would have benefited Soul Society, not just you, they have to see that," Uryu protested.

"Why? Even if they did see that, they know that I'm not just a soul reaper any longer, I'm something else, I'm something that they refuse to accept and I'll be dealt with in the same way they deal with all of the things they don't accept."

"You don't think they'll actually kill you," Ichigo asked, clearly shocked by the idea.

She didn't immediately answer the question, but took a moment instead to gaze up at the boring gray ceiling above her. When she looked at Ichigo, there was nothing in her tone to indicate that she had any sort of feeling over what she was about to say. "I do and they will. It's just a matter of time."

"I won't let them, they can't-"

"Lower your voice, Kurosaki," Uryu turned to say to his orange haired friend that had jumped from his seat and was shaking with anger.

"But they can't-"

"Thank you, Ichigo, for wanting to help me, but...I'm home, if I were to choose some place to die, this would be it. I know what's coming and I don't mind, so please don't get so angry. I will accept my punishment," Sayomi said.

Ichigo froze, she had sounded just like Rukia had on the night that Byakuya had retrieved her from the living world several months ago. She had humbled herself and was willing to take the ultimate punishment for a mediocre crime.

* * *

It was the next day that she was visited by none other than the head captain himself. The old man slowly made his way into the exterior of the room that housed her cell, his lieutenant trailing obediently behind him. Once directly in front of the bars, the old man stopped, placing both hands on the top of his staff and watching Sayomi through half lidded eyes.

Shifting, Sayomi went from laying down to sitting up straight and waiting to be addressed.

"I want the entire story, from the beginning, if you don't mind," the old man told her.

She couldn't help the flicker of confusion that crossed her face at why he would want to hear her story from the beginning. He had to already know what she was and how she had become what she was, so why did he care, or did?

"Pardon me for asking sir, but why do you wish to know? I already know that whatever I tell you now or in the future won't have any baring on the punishment you choose for me," Sayomi replied, keeping her voice steady and calm.

"My reasons are not your concern," Yamamoto answered.

Sayomi frowned, that was certainly not the response she was hoping for. It was definitely the response she had expected though. "By the beginning, I assume you mean the night that I disobeyed orders and went to help Kensei and the others."

Her only answer was a minute tilting of the head captain's chin.

She took a moment to gather her thoughts before heaving a sigh and beginning her tale. When she had finished almost an hour later, Yamamoto and Sasakibe left, barely saying a word to her as they turned to leave.

Unknown to her, Byakuya had heard the entire conversation. He had been down the hall the whole time, the head captain had been aware, but had chosen to ignore his subordinate and let the man hear what Sayomi had to say. The nobleman didn't go into see her that night, there was too much on his mind to distract him. Including her admittance that at some point at least, the others who had also supposedly died with her were alive and that she had had a relationship with the one man whom he knew had loved Sayomi for a very long time.

He could tell by the way she spoke towards the end of the conversation, about her brother's death and the way she had fled Hueco Muendo after managing to wound Aizen, that she was still very upset over the loss of her brother and wanted to avenge him. He wondered what her reaction would be if he were to tell her that Gin Ichimaru was very much alive. She would probably not believe him and choose to believe that he was lying to her.

The head captain was aware, as was everyone else, that Gin Ichimaru was alive and well. He had also been told of the theories that Aizen still had plans for Sayomi, the old man didn't believe it though. He felt that Aizen had abandoned Sayomi and that the man wouldn't attempt to recapture her. He couldn't help but feel that the head captain was wrong though. He didn't see Aizen leaving something he desired to be destroyed by the hands of people he wanted to destroy himself.

The only thing to do, was wait.

For Sayomi waiting was all she could do, but she was soon to find that she wouldn't have to do very much more of that. The day after the short questioning by the captains of the Gotei, she was once again brought before the head captain and all other captains and their lieutenants, even Ichigo and Uryu were present. They had no idea why, they had just been summoned there and had decided it would be best to go.

She didn't look at anyone as she was led down the center of the white room, her bare feet making little clapping noises against the smooth marble beneath them. She took her place with her four guards around her, her chin held high as she was presented to Yamamoto. She heard the sound of the giant doors sliding shut behind her and it wasn't long after that the head captain spoke.

"Sayomi Himura, you are here to learn your punishment for your crimes. With the seats of Central Forty-Six currently empty it has been decided that the orders of those who previously cast judgment upon criminals will be upheld without question."

Sayomi listened to the raspy voice speak, well aware of what was coming, but dreading it all the same.

"You are to be executed in one weeks time, you will be transferred to the Repentance Tower to await your sentence."

She nodded her understanding, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. She had expected the sentence, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon.

"Wait, you can't just kill her! She didn't do anything wrong," Ichigo shouted in protest beside a very grim looking Uryu who pushed his glasses up on his nose with a frown.

"Silence," Yamamoto demanded. "It was decided long ago by the governing body of Soul Society that should any of the atrocities be captured they would be killed."

"Atrocities! So she's different, so what, she's still one of you, she's still a soul reaper!"

"Kurosaki, you're not making things any better for her at the moment," Uryu said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder and nodding toward Sayomi.

She had paled considerably and she looked about to break, her eyes were glazed over and her lips were parted slightly as she stared numbly at the ground in front of her feet.

* * *

Please review!


	28. Chapter 28 An Unexpected Kindness

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 28**

**An Unexpected Kindness**

After Sayomi was led back to her cell, she spent most of her time staring blankly at her hands as she sat cross legged on the bed with her back against the cold stone of the wall. Ichigo and Uryu had come to see her, both of them trying to get her to talk, but she just wasn't in the mood and ignored them instead. This incensed Ichigo, who started yelling at her before Uryu told him to kindly shut up, the two left not too long after that, leaving Sayomi to sit in the artificial light of her cell and contemplate her soon approaching death.

"You're ok with this, Ishida," Ichigo asked roughly, waving a hand back at the building that Sayomi was being held in until the following morning when she would be transferred to the Repentance Tower. "They're going to kill her!"

Sighing, the black haired boy stiffly pushed his glasses up on his nose so that sun was conveniently reflecting off of their lenses and concealing his eyes. "You're not that bright are you, Kurosaki?"

"Huh?"

Uryu sighed again, shaking his head as if annoyed. "They never said how she was to be executed, just that she was."

Ichigo looked rather dumbfounded by the comment and cocked his head to the side in thought before finally asking, "I don't get it. They said they're going to kill her and that's all that matters to me. She helped me out of a real tight spot and I'd like to return the favor."

"You won't be helping her at all if you try to rescue her and to be honest, I don't think she wants to be rescued. I don't know much about her past, but I get the feeling that she's tired and just wants to be done with everything. She carries a lot on her shoulders and she doesn't want to share any of her problems, even though there are people who are willing to help her. Anyways," he said, once again pushing his glasses up on his nose as the two walked from the pristine courtyards of the First division and made their way to the home of Byakuya Kuchiki. "What I was getting at was that they never said anything about how they were going to actually execute her. If you remember from our last trip here to save Rukia it seemed like the only reason that someone would be sent to the Repentance Tower was so that they could look at that weapon that they used to kill high ranking soul reapers while they waited for their sentence to be carried out, but that weapon is gone now. So why move her to the tower?"

"Uh, well, I guess you're right," Ichigo replied, scratching at his head as he tried to think over Uryu's words, not at all understanding what the boy was getting at.

"If she's moved to the tower and Aizen really does come after her like Urahara and some others think, then it would be a more open area in which to fight."

"So, what you're saying is that they expect Aizen to come for her?" Ichigo asked, his eyes squinting in confusion.

Uryu shrugged. "How should I know."

"But you just said," Ichigo spluttered.

"I only voiced my opinion, maybe they plan on using her for bait."

* * *

After Uryu and Ichigo had left, Sayomi remained sitting as she was, her back against the wall and her eyes on her hands that she had folded in her lap. She kept glancing at her wrist, where Fuyukaze should have been, but wasn't and it made her feel immensely lonely that he was gone. She could still hear his voice and converse with him, but it just wasn't the same, she had never really been separated from him before and she didn't like the feeling whatsoever.

There was the sound of muffled footsteps, quick and light coming down the hall and Sayomi looked up at her new visitor in surprise, but that quickly faded into blankness. "Shouldn't you be home with your wife, Byakuya?" She asked the handsome man that had appeared before her cell, his scarf was coiled loosely around his neck as usual and she noticed that he still wore the same white gloves that he had taken to wearing when he had become a captain what felt like a lifetime ago.

"My wife is dead." He answered evenly, watching Sayomi's response with his dark eyes.

Sayomi's own pale blue eyes widened in shock and stayed that way as she tried to come up with a reply, but couldn't say anything and wound up lowering her head. She had done enough to hurt the man in front of her she knew, she didn't want to say or do anything else to hurt him further because no matter how much she tried to tell herself that she no longer cared about him, she did and the more she saw him, the more often she heard him speak, the more often her heart would skip a beat in her chest.

"Hisana died five years after we were married, her health was never that great and she fell ill while trying to find her sister, Rukia whom she had abandoned in the Rukongai."

At the mention of the Rukongai, Sayomi's fists clenched, she had no good memories of the world outside of the Seireitei and had no desire to ever think about the disgusting conditions she and her brother had lived in. A part of her couldn't help but feel some form of anger at the fact that Byakuya's late wife had abandoned her sister in that hell hole, but a part of her could also understand the woman's reasons.

She had been lucky having Gin as a brother, he had taken care of her despite the fact that it was much more difficult to care for anyone other than yourself in the towns that they had had to ghost through as children."I'm sorry, Byakuya, I had no idea," she finally said, still not bothering to look up at the black haired man whose bangs were hanging in his face, having no choice but to do so because of the silver tubes that were placed in his hair to signify his status.

"She was a commoner, I met her fifty years after your disappearance and fell in love with her. The elders were against my marrying her, but I insisted, I loved her. She was the only other woman I had ever felt anything for beside you and I wasn't about to let that go unnoticed."

"Why are you telling me this, Byakuya," Sayomi questioned quietly, lifting her head enough to peer at him with tired and glassy eyes. "Not that I mind, but I remember you clearly telling me to return to the dead because that was what I was to you, so why tell me about your wife or anything else? It's not like I deserve to know, I abandoned this place, you, my entire life....I left it all behind-"

"The choice to go to the aid of your comrades was yours, but the other choice that was made that night, to experiment on loyal soul reapers was not yours. Was it?"

She shook her head, letting her eyes drift shut and sighing before letting her eyes flutter open again. "No, of course not, but it doesn't change the fact that I did go to aid those comrades and now I'm going to die for that."

Byakuya remained silent, studying Sayomi in the dim light that the single bub in the cell cast over her. She looked tired, worn and nothing like the beautiful, strong willed woman he remembered from nearly a century ago. That wasn't to say that she still wasn't extremely beautiful with her long white hair hanging over her shoulders in soft waves as her pale blue eyes stared back at him from her pale face. "Were you happy? In the living world with the others and..that man?"

The question was rather abrupt and unexpected so Sayomi couldn't help but to blink almost dumbly at him for a moment. "At first..no, I wasn't happy at all. I wanted to come home, I wanted to be with you, but Soul Society was going to kill us so that was impossible and I didn't want to endanger you...I loved you too much. I was told that you were dead several years after we left, I believed it and for years I grieved and just couldn't let go. When I finally did it was Kensei that was there for me and it took some time, but I eventually grew happy again. Then I left and... I'm used to being alone now, it's safer that way."

"Safer for you or them?"

"Both really. I almost killed Hiyori for insulting you and Kensei, though I suppose in some senses she was right. I was never good enough for you or him, I spend too much time looking out only for myself and not anyone else."

"You don't honestly believe that, do you?" Byakuya asked.

"Why does it matter to you, Byakuya, I'm going to be dead in a week and as I've already mentioned, you told me to return to the dead once, so why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"When Hisana died, everything changed for me and it wasn't until recently that I began to see that maybe there were other ways of doing things. I had sworn to never again break another law and that I would uphold the values of the remaining nobility. I also swore that I would never let myself love again. I didn't want to be hurt again, I didn't want to experience another loss since it seemed to be the only thing I received any time I loved someone. Then you reappeared from seemingly nowhere and I was reminded that I was capable of feeling, I didn't want to feel anything so I rejected you instead."

"Byakuya," Sayomi whispered, she felt a deep sadness for him. He had decided on being alone instead of risking having his heart broken again. Standing from where she was perched on the bed, Sayomi walked to the bars and reached a thin, pale hand through them. "I'm so sorry, I really am. I should have listened to you, I should never have gone off on my own that night," she said softly as she let her fingers lightly graze his cheek and push some of his hair back.

"You would have gone anyway, Sayomi, I know you well enough to know that," the noble replied, taking her hand in one of his own and holding it against his chest for a moment before releasing it and letting it fall back to her side.

She smiled softly, her eyes becoming distant as she brought her hand to her chest and held it there. "Yes, you're probably right."

"I should be going, I fell behind with the day's paperwork and my lieutenant is fairly useless. Good night, Sayomi," Byakuya said, bowing his head to her and then turning to sweep elegantly from the room.

"Night," she mumbled after him.

* * *

The following morning, after very little sleep and no peace of mind, Sayomi was once again restrained and four masked men took up their positions around her with another man that would lead them to their destination, as they prepared to lead her from her current place of confinement to the Repentance Tower within the Court of Pure Souls. As odd as it may have sounded, Sayomi was looking forward to the walk, she would have a chance to see some of the Soul Society and how it had changed in her long absence. She was confused however, when instead of finding herself on the path that would lead to the Repentance Tower, she was walking towards the large, looming white walls that housed the head captain's personal office.

She remained silent the entirety of the walk to and through the almost blindingly white building. She began to feel uneasy as she and her guards neared the two large stone doors that started to swing open on their own with a quiet grinding noise. The head captain was not alone in his office, not that she had expected him to be, but she definitely hadn't expected to see Byakuya there, standing regally before the wooden desk that Yamamoto sat behind, his wrinkled hands folded over its polished surface as both men's eyes turned to her.

"You may leave us," Yamamoto ordered to the man at the head of the guards that had led her there.

The man seemed confused, he hesitated for a moment before bowing respectfully and turning to the four other men who after a nod from the man at their head, released the glowing bonds that had carried. The ropes disappeared, leaving Sayomi standing in the in utter confusion in the center of the room, her eyes wide as she blinked down at her wrists, the red bands still remained to cut off her reiatsu, but she was allowed to move freely otherwise. The men in white filed past her and left the room, the door shutting quietly behind them.

"Come forward, Sayomi Himura."

The raspy voice snapped Sayomi out of her daze and she lowered her hands to her sides, by now she was used to the rough fabric of the white robe she was given to wear, but she couldn't stand the feel of it against her skin as her bare feet carried her across the cold marble to stand directly before Yamamoto. She cast a glance at Byakuya, still wondering just what was going on and why they had allowed her to move freely.

"Captain Kuchiki has made a request of me and though I feel it is highly inappropriate given that you are to be executed in six days, I have decided that I will honor his request. He has made several arguments in your favor and though I don't believe all of them, I don't believe that he would lie, he is far too proud for that," Yamamoto explained.

Sayomi grew more confused, Byakuya had stood up for her? Why? It made no sense to her, she was a traitor, she knew that, it might not have been her choice but she had abandoned the Soul Society and she had even turned her sword against its allies in the recent past.

"I..don't understand," Sayomi finally said, slowly, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion as she kept her eyes on the old man.

"I am well aware of the circumstances surrounding your abandonment of your post as well as the reasons for your recent actions," the old man continued, causing Sayomi's brows to knit even further together. "Regardless of these facts, you are still something that shouldn't exist and the abandonment of your post is an act of treason, punishable by death. However, it seems you still have friends." His eyes slid to Byakuya, Sayomi's followed suit and she blinked at the man for a moment before turning her attention back to Yamamoto. "Captain Kuchiki has requested that you be given the opportunity to see your adopted parents' home and graves before the execution. After much...deliberation, I have decided that I will allow this."

Sayomi didn't hear the rest of what the wrinkly black haired man said, her breathing had stopped and a lump had formed in her throat. Her vision swam out of focus as she felt tears fill her eyes at the unexpected news, she had never dreamed that she would be allowed to see her home again or visit the site of her parents' graves. Her chest felt tight as her fists balled at her sides and her head lowered. The raspy voice of Yamamoto came and went, she could hear him telling her that if she so much as violated one order or acted suspiciously while being taken to her former home, she would be dealt with accordingly and without hesitation. She nodded to signify that she understood, but she couldn't do much else. It was decided that she would be allowed to visit the Himura compound the night before her execution as long as there were no problems before then, again she simply nodded and bit back the grateful tears that were threatening to pour from her eyes.

It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she looked up to see that Byakuya was staring down at her, his eyes were unreadable now as she searched for some reason as to why he would do so much for her. He led her to the doors, her guards were waiting outside for her and as soon as she stepped from the office of the head captain, the glowing ropes were back in place and all five men took up position around her and led her to the last place she would ever live.

* * *

No longer allowed to see Sayomi since she had been moved to the Repentance Tower, Uryu and Ichigo had decided to return to Karakura Town until the day of the execution. This decision greatly relieved the rather annoyed Kuchiki head who was developing a slight twitch in his right eye every time he so much as heard either boy's voice. They had been granted permission to witness the execution as had Orihime and Chad if they wished.

"They're...they're really going to..." Orihime couldn't even complete her sentence as tears filled her bright eyes and she bowed her head.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied gently, awkwardly as he watched Orihime's shoulders being to shake.

Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, Orihime and Urahara were gathered together in the training room beneath the Urahara Shoten, Yoruichi was there as well, in feline form and sitting on a boulder several feet away listening to the conversation as her tail flitted around behind her stiffly.

"Perhaps Ichigo should go and inform Shinji and her other friends, they should know of this as well," she spoke up, her voice masculine and deep as it usually was when she was in feline form.

"Oh...right, I guess I should, huh," he answered, rubbing absently at his orange hair and sighing, his shoulders slumping as if a great weight had been put on them.

"I'll go too," Orihime offered quickly.

"Um, ok," Ichigo replied, smiling lightly when Orihime attempted to smile brightly at him. "You know, you don't have to go, to witness her execution I mean," he said to her as the to left the shop.

The young girl lowered her head. "I know, but...Sayomi is my friend and I would like to be there for her."

Silence descended over the two as they continued their walk through the gradually darkening town. The sun had sunk low beneath dark, thick clouds that promised rain. The wind picked up, causing both teens to shiver as they walked through the warehouse district of town, Orihime's hair whipped around her face and cold droplets of water began to fall from the gray sky just as they neared an empty space between two warehouses. Orihime was able to get through the barrier that surrounded the seemingly empty spot and extending her powers to engulf Ichigo as well, allowing both of them to walk through an invisible barrier and stand before a run down warehouse.

The two exchanged a brief glance upon hearing the cursing and swearing that was coming from inside the roll up door that led into the warehouse. The voice belonged to none other than the blond Hiyori who was busy ranting wildly as the to of them walked in, Shinji was the apparent cause for her ire since she was currently busy repeatedly whacking him him with a red sandal. She didn't stop until she looked up to see Ichigo and Orihime staring at her. The sandal was poised to impact Shinji's face again, but it lowered as she stared at the two.

"What the hell are you doin' here," Hiyori snorted rudely, slipping her sandal back.

Shinji sighed and stood from where he had been cowering on the floor, dusting himself off when he straightened.

"I thought you'd like to know that Sayomi is going to be executed," Ichigo answered evenly.

Lisa set her magazine down beside her and adjusted her glasses, she was on the second story leaning into one of the broken pillars with her legs hanging off the edge. Rose and Love were sitting at the table, Rose was playing his guitar and dropped the pick at the news that was given to them. Love closed the manga he was reading, setting it down. Hachi who was sitting on the floor, leaning against and looked as if he had been mediating, opened his eyes and looked to Shinji. Shinji was frowning openly as he stood by a shocked looking Hiyori. Kensei was the only one who didn't seem to react at all as he sat on the couch and kept his attention on the television.

"When," Shinji asked, breaking the stunned silence.

"Six days. Uryu, Orihime, Chad and I have been given permission to go to Soul Society and witness it."

"It was expected, but it's still a bit of a shock, isn't it," Rose said, frowning as he removed the sunglasses he always wore and set them aside.

"I thought you went there to help her, Ichigo, what happened," Shinji asked.

For a moment Ichigo had the serious urge to grab the blond by the collar of his shirt, but instead settled for glaring at him and replying. "She didn't want the help and on top of that Uryu seems to think that Aizen won't let her be killed anyway and she's being used as bait."

"It's highly likely, anyways, thanks for the info, Ichigo," Shinji replied, obviously dismissing their guests.

"Yeah whatever," Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his hair to calm himself down and turning to leave, Orihime following silently behind him, her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her.

"So, it's like we thought," Shinji said somberly after Ichigo and Orihime had left the building and had passed through the barrier. "She's being used as bait now."

"It's kind of sad," Rose observed. "They're using her without a care about what could happen to her, all to get to Aizen, I can understand why, but at the same time she was such a devoted captain that it's sad to think of her being used that way."

"I highly doubt she'd mind," Kensei put in in a low mumble.

Shinji sighed, but nodded while scratching distractedly at his head. "True, but something tells me that this isn't going to end well. Sayomi probably hasn't been told any of this, she has no idea what's going on. She's going to believe that Aizen sending someone to rescue her will make her look more like a traitor to everyone, she'll think that she isn't safe anywhere but there and I'm sure Aizen will make sure she feels that way. Sayomi knows she can't defeat him, she'll end up submitting to him which is exactly what he wants."

"What should we do," Rose asked, brushing some of his wavy hair from his eyes.

"Nothing," Shinji replied tiredly, glancing at Kensei who was still staring at the television though his eyes were far away and distant.

* * *

The days passed slowly for Sayomi who spent most of her time leaning into one of the cool stone walls of her prison and staring out of one of the thin gaps that served as a window and allowed just a little natural light into the cell. She could see most of the Seireitei from her perch and would look at the buildings of the different divisions, she could tell that not much seemed to have changed since she had left. Her eyes were constantly drawn to the Tenth division's walled in and neatly kept fields and barracks as well as the slightly more spacious Sixth division. There were so many memories for her in both places and they kept floating through her mind, either lifting her lips in a smile or bringing sad tears to her eyes.

She had no visitors since she had been placed in the tower aside from the men who brought her food and the occasional change of clothes. She never paid them any attention or spoke to them, she barely even touched the food she was brought. It would have been lonely but she conversed with Fuyukaze whenever she felt the need to hear a friendly and familiar voice. Her most trusted companion was obviously dismayed by the way things had turned out, it was evident in the tone of his voice and how he no longer mocked or teased her, but Sayomi didn't mind, she knew he only wanted to try and keep her spirits up despite the situation she had found herself in.

With nothing to keep her busy she let her mind wander and let her memories replay themselves in her mind.

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Please review!


	29. Chapter 29 Visions in the Dark

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

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**Chapter 29**

**Visions in the dark**

"Is it just me, Byakuya, or are you a little annoyed with me," Sayomi asked, smirking as she placed her hands on her hips and watched the young black haired man lower the wooden sword he had been practicing with to his side.

The two were standing on the far edge of the Kuchiki compound, it was more open here and green, surrounded by trees that kept people from spying on the excitable and quick tempered young man as he practiced.

The young man's gray eyes narrowed slightly at Sayomi, she was out of the school uniform he had become accustomed to seeing her in and was wearing a pale blue kimono with white flowers along the right side of it with a plain white obi. She was almost always in some shade of blue, it was her favorite color and it suited her pale skin and snow white hair, not that Byakuya had any intention of telling her that.

"Are you going to answer me or just stare at me," Sayomi asked, folding her arms over her chest and grinning when Byakuya snorted at her and turned his head away, his long ponytail whipping through the air.

"Why would you assume I was annoyed with you," he finally asked arrogantly.

"Oh I don't know..maybe because I've only been at the Academy for six months, but I can already fight on the same level as you and you've been there a year," she replied smoothly, fighting back the urge to snicker at the twitch her words elicited from the thin young man before her.

"How dare you compare yourself to me, I'm the top student at the Academy and no little girl is going to surpass me," Byakuya retorted stiffly.

Her brow twitching at the insult since she was quite sensitive about her height being that she was the shortest person in the Academy at the moment even though there were plenty of people younger than her, Sayomi sniffed indignantly and tossed her head to the side so she wouldn't have to look at the noble anymore. "Need I remind you, Byakuya, that we both had the same teacher and only one of us has been able to master changing forms."

"Why would I care, I have no desire to turn into a filthy feline."

"Or are you just mad that I'm capable of something you're not," Sayomi smirked.

"Hn," he snorted, shrugging a shoulder in disdain. "That's the only thing you can do that I can't, don't let it go to your head, Sayomi."

"Fine, I won't, but I bet I can beat you in a game of chase the devil," she answered, smiling lopsidedly since she knew he wouldn't back down from the challenge.

Glaring at her, Byakuya dropped the wooden sword to the ground and immediately flashed towards her, she giggled before flashing out of his reach. There were angered curses and shouts from the unhappy Kuchiki, which only made Sayomi laugh harder as she tugged at the constricting fabric of her kimono and flashed out of his reach again and again. After nearly a half hour of evading the young man and not being able to tag him to win the game either, Sayomi began to grow tired. She wasn't used to running around in the rather heavy kimono and having to hold it out of the way, was making things much more difficult than they needed to be.

Noticing that Sayomi was beginning to slow down, Byakuya sped up, he too was growing tired, but he wasn't about to lose to a girl. He came up behind her and with a proud smirk, reached forward to touch her shoulder. He found himself confused however when he landed on a branch just behind her and she suddenly disappeared, he heard her breathless laugh before something pushed him forward and he fell off the branch. Landing on his butt in the grass below, he glared up through the leaves to see Sayomi smiling down at him and waving her fingers at him.

"Sorry about that, but I'm getting tired and wanted to end it already. You didn't take into account that I can turn quicker and easier than you since I'm such a little girl, you underestimated me Byakuya which is why you're sitting down there on your butt while I'm up here," Sayomi called down happily.

"You cheated," he grumbled, pushing himself up and brushing the dirt from his clothing.

"I did not and you know it, just admit it, you lost."

"Never."

"Such pride, Byakuya," she sighed sarcastically.

"What would you know of pride," he snapped harshly. "No noble woman would be standing in a tree holding her kimono in such a fashion, it's distasteful." He had hit a sore spot and he knew it the second Sayomi's smile fell and her entire demeanor changed. Part of him wanted to apologize for his words, he knew that Sayomi was sensitive over the fact that she wasn't an actual noble, but his pride wouldn't allow him.

"You're right, sorry for having troubled you, Byakuya-_sama_, I'll be going now," Sayomi said blandly, jumping from the tree, her back to him as she smoothed out her kimono and started to walk away from him.

* * *

"I don't wish to be placed in the Tenth division," Sayomi repeated stubbornly.

Her father sighed and her mother frowned, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Then what about the Sixth," her mother suggested.

Sayomi snorted and looked out the window, sticking her chin in the air defiantly. "And why would I want to join the same division as someone who likes to constantly remind me that I'm not worthy enough to be in his presence since there's only room for his gigantic ego and arrogant-"

"You shouldn't speak of Byakuya in such a way, Sayomi," Mai scolded.

"Sorry mother, but it's true," Sayomi grumbled. 'And the fact you knew who I was talking about proves it,' she thought to herself.

"True or not, Sayomi, it is not appropriate for someone of your standing," Hiroshi replied authoritatively.

"Yes father," Sayomi sighed, bowing her head in an apology she didn't really mean. "But I still don't want to be placed in the Sixth division either, I want to be treated normally and not specially just because I am your daughter. I want to be able to grow stronger and I feel that it would be best if I was placed in a squad that will treat me as they would anyone else."

"You are special though dear, you do know that," Mai stated.

"It's alright, Mai, let her be. I'll let the other captains know, I think I know of just the place for her," Hiroshi said.

Sayomi grew a little nervous when she saw the smile on her father's face and the glint in his eyes, she swallowed and prayed silently that she was making the right decision.

* * *

"So....this is her," a tall, thin man with reddish brown hair asked, he was in the standard black uniform of the shinigami with no alterations.

"Uh huh," a silver haired man answered, this one was tall as well and quite well built, he wore the same uniform, but with the addition of a white haori, the sleeves had been removed from both the haori and his kimono top.

"She's kinda...short," another blond said, scratching nonchalantly at his face, the sleeve of his white haori falling to his elbow.

"She doesn't look all that impressive and she doesn't even have a zanpakuto, ya sure about this captain Muguruma?" The man who had spoken this time was a man with black hair that was pulled up into a ponytail.

There were several other people as well, a man with dark skin and black hair that was in dreadlocks that had been pulled into a high ponytail, he also wore a strange pair of goggles over his eyes. There was a bald man with a mustache and another man with brown hair and eyes that wore glasses and had a kind smile.

Sayomi stared at all of the men with her pale blue eyes while a thin white eyebrow began to twitch uncontrollably. Her hands were at her sides as she stood at attention waiting for someone to actually address her. As of yet, the men in front of her that were gathered around the desk, staring at her like she was some sort of strange being, had done nothing but talk about her. The only two men in the room that weren't participating in the chat were the man with the kind brown eyes and the man beside him who Sayomi had a feeling was blind, the man with the brown eyes smiled at her as she glanced at him, it was a smile that she felt was meant to apologize for the behavior of his captain, the man with the long, straight blond hair that kept scratching at his head as if he were a monkey.

"I heard she was in the top of the class, right behind that Kuchiki brat," the brown eyed man's captain said.

"Yeah, but...she's so small," the white haired man said.

Being fully aware that this man was her captain, but also not caring since she had been insulted enough the past five minutes, Sayomi dropped the obedient soldier act and thrust her hand out in front of her to point at the man. "Who the hell are you calling small, you over sized oaf?!"

"Watch your mouth you pint sized little brat, do you know who you're talking to?"

"Kensei Muguruma, captain of the Ninth division. You were born in the Rukongai, somewhere around the 69th district if I'm not mistaken and joined the Academy at a fairly young age, after failing the entrance exam about four times anyway," Sayomi answered matter-of-factly, smiling a fake, sweet smile when she was finished.

"She's pretty good," the reddish haired man said, nodding.

"Oh shut up, Eishima," Kensei grumbled. "I don't care how good the little brat is, she's out of line."

"I'm out of line," Sayomi argued. "You were the ones that were standing there and talking about me like I wasn't here. Would it be so hard ape man to oh, I don't know, be a captain like you're supposed to be and get to work showing me around!"

"Why you-"

"Calm down, captain," Eishima cried, grabbing his captain and with the help of the bald man, holding him back from attacking the grinning white haired Sayomi who hadn't moved an inch and had instead taken to studying her nails with far too much interest.

"Well she certainly is feisty, eh, Sosuke," the blond captain said, elbowing his subordinate in the side.

"It might have something to do with the fact that you have all been studying her like some kind of doll on display and insulting her," Sosuke pointed out innocently, chuckling at the small glare his captain gave him.

"You want me to get work and show you around, huh," Kensei growled menacingly as he was released by his two subordinates.

Sayomi suddenly felt that maybe, just maybe, she should have kept her big mouth shut for once as the amber eyes of her captain stared at her with a very unsettling evil glint in them. She was soon to find out that pissing him off was in fact a very, very bad idea.

She wasn't even introduced to anyone in the room, instead she found her arm locked in the iron like grip of her captain and, with a squeak, she found herself being hauled off through the division. Blinking back at the men that were watching her being dragged away like a rag doll, she saw them all shaking their heads and chuckling.

After several minutes of being pulled along, Sayomi was tossed rather gracelessly into a patch of rough grass. Wincing at the impact, she gingerly rubbed at her sore backside before looking up to glare at her captain who much to her surprise had drawn his zanpakuto.

"What are you doing," she asked cautiously, her right arm moving out to her side.

"Teaching you a lesson," he replied with a grin.

"Huh?" She replied, cocking her head to the side, not thinking he was serious until he grasped the hilt of his zanpakuto in both hands and readying himself to attack, which he did. Shouting, Sayomi rolled out of the way of the sharp blade and shoved herself up, glaring into the amber eyes that were watching her like she was food now. "You would attack a defenseless woman, how mean.," she huffed with a small pout.

Moving to dodge another blow, Sayomi spun gracefully and ducked, purposely kicking up a small amount of dirt to hide the fact that the bracelet on her wrist was gone now and that she held a beautiful katana in her hands. Leaping over the next swipe of her captain's sword, Sayomi grunted when the blade skimmed over her ankle, leaving a trail of red on her white tabi socks. She unsheathed her katana, keeping the sheath in her left hand as she brought the bright blade of the sword itself down on to her captain's shoulder.

Her attack was blocked easily and she was pushed aside with so much force that she slid several yards on her feet, a plume of dust rising into the air at the disturbance to the ground. Standing proudly, Sayomi gritted her teeth and raised her sword in front of her, lowering the sheath out to her side and bending her knees slightly in preparation to either attack or defend. She knew she wouldn't stand much of a chance against the man that was several yards away from her, but she wasn't about to back down either.

"Blow it away, Tachikaze."

Sayomi's eyes widened as her captain released his shikai, she could feel the immense spiritual pressure coming off of him in waves and knew that she was nothing compared to him at the moment. A spark of fear ignited itself in her chest as she watched Kensei's katana become a much smaller and compact combat knife, it then began to glow and Sayomi knew she was in over head, but she still refused to run away or back down. Dropping the blue sheath she had held to the ground she prepared for the coming attack.

"Breathe, Fuyukaze," she shouted, planting her feet firmly into the ground and flipping the hilt of her sword so that it spun over her palm before coming to a stop parallel to the ground with the blade pointing out to her right, placing her other hand behind her right Sayomi grunted as the force of Kensei's blow slammed into her defense. Gritting her teeth, she held her ground for as long as she could, but when she felt herself being pushed back into the dirt and her chest start to rise and fall too rapidly, she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. And she was right, the stronger force of Kensei's shikai slammed into her body after breaking through her defense, she didn't scream as she was tossed through the air and slammed into the ground, landing harshly on her back with a gasp as the wind was knocked out of her.

The winds that had whipped through the area dispersed and once they did, Sayomi began to cough, pushing herself on to her elbows, she turned her head to the side to spit out a good deal of her own bright red blood.

"Not bad kid, but next time you should back down before you get seriously hurt," Kensei said as walked over to her and held a hand to help her up.

Smacking the hand away from her roughly, Sayomi stood on her own, wobbling slightly, but righting herself enough to slowly make her way to where she had dropped her sheath. "I'll never back down," she said as she sheathed her weapon and let it disintegrate and reform the chain link bracelet on her wrist. "Now how about showing me my room since I'm dirty and I know for a fact that the placement testing is tomorrow and I have today to rest."

Amused by the attitude he was getting from the girl, Kensei let a single chuckle escape him and then walked forward, waving a hand for Sayomi to follow him. He was forced to turn back however after hearing the sound of something falling into the dirt.

"Maybe I over did it," he mumbled to himself with a sigh before walking to where Sayomi had passed out and picking her up. He couldn't help but to admire her as he carried her, she was strong willed and hot tempered, but she was also strikingly beautiful.

The next day he was incredibly surprised to find that Sayomi was definitely no slouch, she may have been short and she may have looked like a delicate young woman, but she was anything but when she was pitted against the seated members of her new squad. Her eyes went blank as she fought, but her foot work and the way she handled herself was amazing. It was easy to see why she had graduated the Academy in under two years, she was well on her way to becoming a master swordsman and her flash step was incredible. She was rewarded with the tenth seat, much to the annoyance of several people, including the former tenth seat who had been in the squad for over twenty years.

* * *

Sayomi smiled to herself as she remembered going home after claiming the tenth seat for herself. Her father and mother had been immensely proud of her, he had expected her to win herself a seat but he hadn't thought that out of twenty seated positions she would claim the tenth. Even Byakuya who had been invited to dinner that night to celebrate Sayomi's induction into the Gotei 13 had been surprised to hear she had managed to claim the tenth seat, he had known she was strong, but hadn't expected her to win the same seat that he himself had originally occupied when he had first entered into the Sixth division.

It didn't take long after that for it to become known that Sayomi was on her way to the top, no one had any doubts that she would become lieutenant within the span of just a few years. To the surprise of some it took nearly fifteen years before Sayomi was finally offered the position of the lieutenant of the Ninth division, many felt that she should have been promoted much sooner than that. Even Byakuya had been surprised that it had taken so long for her to be promoted.

He was even more surprised a few minutes into the dinner that her parents held in honor of her promotion when it was announced to he and Sayomi that they were both to be wed. The two young people had blinked at their family members before Sayomi decided to ask, "To whom?"

She remembered the laughter that had filled the room from Ginrei as he shook his head at her question that he found quite funny much to her annoyance. She had grown rather fond of the former Kuchiki clan head, the old man had been kind, but stubborn at times. He was a noble and he was aware of the responsibilities that came along with his title, but he had also shown that he had the ability to accept changes that many others normally wouldn't. He had set an excellent example for the other noble families when after vehemently refusing to accept Sayomi as a noble, he changed his mind and instead decided to give her a chance and she hadn't disappointed him, she proved herself well despite the fact that she was nothing but a commoner from the dirtiest outreaches of the Rukongai.

Her and Byakuya's engagement was announced shortly after and neither one fought it, but neither one chose to openly accept it either. It was decided however that they wouldn't be married immediately, but after Byakuya had taken over as the captain of the Sixth division since his grandfather intended to retire within the next several years. They were both also still too stubborn and young to fully accept the marriage, but over time they accepted the engagement happily. Sayomi loved Byakuya, which she sometimes found to be quite annoying since he had a tendency to be arrogant and pompous, but as they both grew and were given more and more responsibilities they both changed and became adults without ever really noticing.

Byakuya stood by Sayomi's side through everything, just as she did for him, he stood up for her whenever someone chose to remind her that she wasn't a noble and therefore wasn't worthy of the Kuchiki, usually this was done by jealous noblewoman, but that never stopped Byakuya from stepping in and kindly reminding the woman that she was a noble and should act like one. He wasn't the most attentive person, he was too busy trying to work his way through the ranks of the Sixth division since the captaincy would eventually fall to him and he wanted to surpass his grandfather in terms of strength.

It wasn't until Sayomi's father was killed in combat that he proved that he could in fact be quite attentive, he had made sure that he was the one to tell her, rather rudely telling Kensei who had wanted to go with him that it wasn't his business. He had interrupted the routine training she was leading the Ninth division through since she had been the lieutenant for nearly a decade. He too was a lieutenant by then and had been several years longer than her. He had had her dismiss the class and then had taken her to a secluded area in the forest where they had gone on the rare occasion that they had a moment to themselves, there was a small lake that reflected the light of the sun and was inhabited by several large koi fish.

She had sensed something was wrong immediately, Byakuya was normally quiet and thoughtful anymore, but there was something in the way he carried himself, not quite as proudly as usual that told her something was wrong.

Closing her eyes to block out the sun that was shining quite brightly through the narrow slit that she was sitting by as she day dreamed, Sayomi fought back the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes as she remembered being told of her father's death. Byakuya had been honest with her, brutally so when she had asked how he had passed. He told her of the gruesome details of her father's death after he and a group of others that were on a mission in the Rukongai had been ambushed by several powerful hollow that had displayed strange abilities, including being able to mask their spirit pressure for short periods of time.

She had spent several long minutes held tightly in his arms, weeping for her father and many nights following that were spent in the same manner. She had taken a short leave to return home and console her distraught mother and if it hadn't been for Byakuya, she knew that there would have been no way that she would have been able to get through the trying and sad times that followed.

With her father's passing, the captain's seat for the Tenth division needed to be filled and since the seat usually was passed to the next Himura, Sayomi was given the title and was thrust into a world that she wasn't prepared for at the time. Byakuya and Ginrei helped her as much as possible, but Ginrei's health was failing and so Byakuya had to spend much of his time looking over things at the Sixth division.

It was only two months after her father's passing that her heart broken mother followed her dearly beloved husband, plunging Sayomi's already sombre mood even further into despair. There was suddenly so much she had to do in spite of the fact that her parents had passed that she felt as if she would break, she was now not only a captain and in control of an entire division that she hadn't had much of a chance to get to know yet, she was now the last of the Himura clan and its head which put several other responsibilities on her shoulders.

At first, she had been unable to shed any tears over the loss of her mother. It just didn't seem real as she ghosted through her days at work and making preparations for her mother's funeral ceremony and the reception after. Everything she did at the time was done as if she were asleep, there was a haze over everything and time past quickly until the day she found herself standing beside Byakuya, greeting the people who had come to say their final farewells to her mother. The weight of everything hit her then and she barely managed to keep herself standing upright through the entire funeral, if Byakuya hadn't practically held her up she doubted she would have been able to stand at all.

The reception was harder to get through, but thankfully she had managed. Once the guests had left, she had made her way back to the room her mother's coffin sat in and stood before it. She never heard the sounds of several people entering the room, Eishima who had been one of her closest friends since she had joined the Ninth division, Kensei, Shinji and his lieutenant Aizen, who Sayomi would occasionally have tea with had all come to see her and pay their respects. Byakuya had let them all in, he was helping with the final arrangements since Sayomi was in no condition to do so, but it also meant that he was unable to be by her side as he would have liked to be and if he couldn't be there for her then he at least wanted her to have some friends by her side, even if he didn't personally care for any of them besides Eishima who unlike Kensei and Aizen had no interest in Sayomi, Shinji just annoyed him and that was the only reason for his dislike of the want to be hip captain.

Eishima had been the one to step forward, placing a hand on Sayomi's shoulder, startling her and causing her to jump in fright. When she turned to look at him her face was blank and lost and she had no idea what to do. He had merely smiled at her and she had lost it, her knees gave out and tears began to pour unrestrained from her eyes, but she never made a sound.

She winced when the vision of Eishima became distorted and instead of seeing his kind, smiling face she saw him covered in his own blood and the blood of the comrades that had died with him as he lay in the dirt outside of the Seireitei.

Her eyes snapped open and with a tired sigh she realized that night had descended, the stars twinkled brightly over head and the lights and fires that lit the paths of the Seireitei glittered in the distance. Standing from the step she had sat on, Sayomi grabbed the small blanket that she had been given to combat the chill the night air brought with it and wrapped it around her shoulders. As she was about to sit back down, she was confused to hear the sound of the door opening.

Watching in the darkness as the door was opened, she stared at the dark figures that stood just outside the cell. She couldn't make them out and being unable to sense any spirit energy, she had no idea who the figures were until one stepped forward, allowing the minimal amount of light that was filtering in through the narrow windows to reveal him to her.

"Byakuya," she questioned quietly as she stared down at the man who had entered her cell, he had been her only visitor in the five days since she had been put in to the cell. It was then that it dawned on her that she was to be executed the following day, her life was going to come to and abrupt halt in less than 24 hours and the revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes widened and she froze as she stared at the beautiful man that was bathed in moonlight and looking every bit like an angel in the darkened world she had just plunged in to.

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Please review!


	30. Chapter 30 Final Hours

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

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**Chapter 30**

**Final Hours  
**

The slim, elegant figure below her was bathed in the dim moonlight that filtered through the narrow windows of her prison and all Sayomi could do was stare at the man as she became all too aware of the fact that in less than twenty four hours she would be dead. With this realization, all sense of feeling left her body and she couldn't even register her knees giving out or the air that rushed past her, making her hair fan out behind her as she fell from the step she was standing on. All there was was an emptiness so intense that she felt as if the night would never end and that she would never again see the sunrise even though she knew there was one last sunrise before she would perish from this world and all others.

Seeing the shock on Sayomi's face and the emotions that flashed so quickly through her eyes, Byakuya knew that the reality of the situation she was in had finally reached her. He was moving even as her knees gave out, his haori billowed out behind him as he quickly stepped forward. Lowering one knee to the ground, he caught Sayomi in his strong arms before she could hit the ground and held her, watching as the tears began to build up in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Captain," a hesitant voice asked from the shadows just inside the door.

Byakuya chose to ignore his lieutenant and flicked a gloved wrist in the air to signal that he was fine and not in need of assistance. The same wrist then lowered and with a slight flourish was beneath Sayomi's knees. Cradling the small girl against himself for a moment to be sure he wouldn't drop her, the nobleman then stood up with her in his arms and spun lightly on his heel to carry her out of the cell and past his lieutenant and the waiting white covered guards.

"Captain Kuchiki this is highly inappropriate, she's a prisoner convicted of high treason. You can't just take her out of her cell without the proper restraints," one of the masked guards protested.

Sending a single scathing glance at the man that had spoken, Byakuya adjusted his grasp on the motionless girl in his arms. "If you hadn't noticed, she's currently unconscious and presents no threat to anyone."

"But-"

"Her reiatsu is sealed, she is powerless, are you trying to imply that a weak and defenseless woman could possibly beat me?"

The guard stuttered briefly before sighing in defeat and bowing his head. "Of course not captain Kuchiki."

"I didn't think so. Since I don't plan on walking the entire distance to the Himura compound, I highly suggest you all keep up," he said blandly barely waiting a full second before stepping forward and disappearing.

With the wind brushing past her cheeks and playing with her hair, Sayomi stirred and fluttered her eyes open only to be greeted by a large portion of the night sky which mesmerized her and held her attention so firmly that she didn't notice that she was being carried until a small chill made her shiver and huddle into the warmth she could feel beside her. Gasping at the realization that she was being carried, she looked up sharply to see that she was in Byakuya's arms as he kept his eyes staring blankly ahead of them.

"B-Byakuya..." She asked in a questioning whisper, she had no idea what was going on or why she was in his arms in the middle of the night as he flashed his way through the Seireitei and was unsure of what to think at the moment.

He didn't reply to her, but he did came to a halt in front of a large fountain that had at one point been gurgling and full of water, but was now nothing more than an empty stone basin with many cracked and weed covered stones. The grass around the fountain was overgrown and weeds had sprouted up throughout the surrounding clearing, the path that had once circled the fountain was indiscernible amongst all of the wild foliage.

Blinking, Sayomi took a look around them as she was lowered to her own feet. Not recognizing where they were or that she was even on her feet, she stayed near to Byakuya, her brows drawing together in thought as she scanned the trees and overgrown clearing before her eyes came upon the old stone fountain. With a gasp, her eyes widened and she clutched at Byakuya's arm for support for a moment. Taking a small breath and swallowing the lump that was quickly forming in her throat, she released Byakuya's arm and began to slowly walk forward toward a small break in the tree line that most people wouldn't have noticed.

Dirt and leaves crunched beneath her feet as the grass parted around her until she reached the small opening and dirt gave way to cold, hard stone. There was no thought in her mind as she blindly followed the path that even she, the last owner, could hardly recognize, her legs moved on their own as her eyes focused on some point in front of her. The forgotten and untamed landscape melted away and was replaced by images of the past and the beauty that had once been her home. As the visions began to fade, her legs began to move faster until she was running, her arms pumping at her sides, her hair flying out behind her and her bare feet slapping against the uneven tiles of the pathway she had walked so many times as she had grown.

She came to an abrupt halt, almost falling over as she looked upon the dilapidated wood structure in front of her. Many of the blue tiles that had covered the roof were missing, the screens that had covered the windows were torn and faded and the hall that wrapped around the building and led to several more buildings was lopsided in places, broken in others. What had once been a lively, colorful and well kept home was now nothing but a sad and empty mess of useless weeds and broken dreams. She continued walking around the houses until she came to a short stone wall, there was an opening a few yards ahead of her and when she approached it, she stopped.

The tomb that held her parents and the ancestors of the Himura clan stood before her at the end of a long walkway that was surrounded on either side by what had once been ponds, but where now empty holes on either side of the walkway. Vines and weeds had grown along the bottoms of the basins and along the walls of the tomb, even the small shrine at the end of the walkway was covered in vines.

"With no master to look after the estate, the servants all found other jobs or returned to their families leaving the grounds and houses to fall into ruin."

Continuing to look around the mess that had once been her home, Sayomi didn't reply to Byakuya's statement as he appeared beside her.

"Since we were not yet married I had no control over what happened to the estate and could do nothing as it slowly decayed. It was a surprise, however, when I learned that I was to be given your entire fortune," he told her glancing down at her.

"I never thought that I would die or be unable to be with you before our marriage at which point this entire compound would have become yours. I wanted to be sure that if anything happened to me in the future that you and our children would receive the money that was left to me, never did I dream that things would end up like this. I'm going to die because I wanted to help my comrades and wound up becoming something that shouldn't exist. I don't really mind though," she said wistfully, her head cocking to the side as her eyes grew unfocused and sad.

"I find that hard to believe, you did just faint a few moments ago if you don't remember," Byakuya reminded her with a slight hint of mocking in his gentle monotone.

Sayomi shook her head, her eyes still distant when she spoke again after a short pause. "I hadn't realized how much time had past and when I saw you standing there....you looked so much like an angel," her soft, musical voice was hardly louder than a whisper. "The weight of everything finally crashed down on me and I realized, fully realized that I will die tomorrow as a traitor to the only place I've ever called home. I am a disgrace to my family name and the loving mother and father that took me in out of kindness. I have betrayed everyone who has ever cared about me and was the cause of the death of the only person who would accept me regardless of what I am or what I've done. I have nothing left to live for and I will accept my punishment."

Byakuya watched her as she spoke, she held herself with the grace and dignity that was expected from all nobles, but there was no pride, just a sense of sadness and loneliness that lingered around her.

"Thank you for bringing me here Byakuya, but I don't deserve to be here. I am not the daughter that Mai and Hiroshi wished for, I have dishonored the name they gave to me and-"

"You're still quite full of yourself, aren't you," Byakuya cut in, his gray eyes staring down at Sayomi.

Her eyes widening at the rebuke, Sayomi sucked in a deep breath before turning her eyes onto the beautiful noble. "Excuse me?"

"I said-"

"I heard what you said, Byakuya," Sayomi snapped, her eyes narrowing. "I want to know what you meant."

A black eyebrow rose in response and Sayomi swore she could see amusement dancing in the gray eyes that were so intently staring down at her that she could feel her hear fluttering in her chest.

"You're a fool," was her only snide response.

Sayomi blinked, her jaw dropping at the insult and the lack of a real answer. She stuttered out a bunch of nonsense before growling and turning away from him haughtily to look out over the remnants of the manor.

"Who are you trying to convince that Hiroshi and Mai Himura would think you a disgrace to their name, yourself or them?"

"I don't need to convince anyone, Byakuya, it's a fact," Sayomi replied quietly.

"Really?" Byakuya mused. "For someone who had been expecting to be sentenced to death, you seemed surprised by the actual order for your execution. You couldn't even speak after it was announced that you would be dead in one week, a surprising reaction from someone who already knew what fate awaited her, don't you think?"

Sayomi remained quiet, her jaw clenching and her fists balling up at her sides.

"You really are so stubborn, Sayomi, you always have been. You try to act unaffected and unafraid of everything when in reality you are frightened and you're trying to make that fear disappear by believing that you deserve death because you have dishonored the parents that accepted you as their own. You are trying to justify your own execution by selfishly saying that the people who loved you would so easily cast that love aside and forget about you. Are you really that weak?"

"Yes," Sayomi answered, spinning on her heels to lock eyes with her former love, blinking to clear the tears that were filling her eyes. "I am weak and I thought I would be ready, but I'm not. I'm not prepared to die, I have only ever wanted to make them proud and now here I am in a flimsy gown standing in the home they left to me that has fallen into disrepair all because I couldn't just sit still while my friends fought and died. I did what anyone else would have done and went to aid them, but now I'm paying for that choice, a choice that had no ill will behind it whatsoever, with my life. I did nothing wrong, I wanted to help, but I wound up a part of a grotesque experiment and something was brought to life inside of me that should never have been awoken. My own brother tried to kill me because he knew that if the thing that Aizen had awoken in me didn't kill me then some nameless assassin would, he knew what it meant for me and tried to help me by ending my life, but he failed and now his blood is on my hands because he tried to protect me like he's always done. I know that my mother and father would never blame me for my actions that night, father probably would have scolded me if I hadn't gone, but that one decision has led me to become a traitor and a monster that isn't supposed to exist. I have betrayed everyone who has ever cared about me whether it was intentional or not doesn't matter, I deserve the fate that is being given to me, but that doesn't mean that I am ready to accept it." Her entire body as shaking and several tears had slipped from her blue eyes to trail down her face, dotting the dry stone beneath her when they fell from her chin.

Surprising even himself, Byakuya stepped forward and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks and then allowed his hand to linger beneath her chin, tilting it upwards so that he could stare directly into Sayomi's sorrowful eyes. "You don't deserve the fate that awaits you, Sayomi."

Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes widened, something was telling her that there was something more behind his words, but she was too lost in the closeness of their bodies to even notice. She knew that his lieutenant and several other guards were only a few yards away, keeping to the shadows unless they were needed, she also had an idea that there were several special ops assassins in the area, but she didn't care, she reached up and cupped Byakuya's cheeks in her hands before lifting herself onto her tiptoes and placing her lips over the warm lips that she had once known so well. She could feel the tears falling from her eyes as one of Byakuya's hands caressed her cheek while the other held her close.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, pulling away and closing her eyes as she bowed her head. "I'm tired, I would like to return to the tower now."

Letting his hand that was still on her tear streaked cheek fall to his side, Byakuya stared down at Sayomi for a moment remembering the past and what he had once envisioned the future would hold for the two of them. That future had disappeared the same night she had a century before, but that didn't stop him from remembering it anyway. He would always love the woman that was standing humbly in front of him, nothing would ever change that and he knew that it was the same for her, but he knew that in the near future she would come to hate him. He was hiding the truth from her and he didn't expect her to forgive him for what was likely going to happen within the span of the next day.

Wordlessly, he swept Sayomi off of her feet and flash stepped back to the tower where he left her standing alone in the center of the room, her face turned up into the sliver of moonlight that was filtering through the window over head.

* * *

Ichigo was walking down the street that would lead him to the Urahara Shoten, it was early morning and though the birds were already chirping, not many people were on the streets yet. Today was the day that he, Uryu, Orihime and Chad would all go to the Soul Society to watch the execution of their friend. It had been weighing heavily on all of them, they all wanted to help her, but knew that it would do her no good if they were to interfere, especially if the popular theory that Aizen would stop the execution and rescue her was correct. Running a hand through his orange hair, the teen sighed and suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening when he felt a familiar reiatsu appearing not far too the south, with it were several unfamiliar reiatsu. All had one thing common though, they were radiating power and blood lust.

Recognizing that the reiatsu was that of several arrancar, Ichigo growled and took off to find them. At the same moment, Uryu, Chad and Orihime who were also making their way to Urahara's shop also felt the presences and also made their way to the intruders. One reached the arrancar first, or more accurately the arrancar found one of them first.

"Aizen-sama has need of your skills again, woman."

Orihime froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins at the sound of the familiar emotionless voice. Swallowing, she slowly turned to look into the green eyes of the Espada that had kidnapped her and had nearly killed Sayomi. She knew that alone she stood no chance against him and was trying to think of a way to buy herself time until Ichigo or someone could get to her. It didn't take her long to realize that it wouldn't be anytime soon when she felt the clashing reiatsu of her friend's as they were engaged in battle with the other arrancar that had also come to Karakura Town.

"I suggest you do as I ask or do you not remember the deal we made," Ulquiorra asked.

Gasping, Orihime took a step back as she recalled the reasons why her kidnapping had seemed like anything but a kidnapping. She had willingly agreed to go to Aizen because the lives of all of her friends had depended on it and she couldn't be the reason anyone of them got hurt. Her arms went limp at her sides and her shoulders slumped, she had no choice but to go with him.

* * *

Sayomi stood between the two rows of four white clad men, there was a fifth man, directly in front of her and he was the one that would lead the way to the cliff where she would be executed by the head captain himself. She had just been informed that the old man would be the one to perform the execution since the Sokyoku no longer existed. She took a deep breath as the man in front of her nodded to his subordinates and then turned and began to lead them from the tower.

They had barely set foot out of the tower when a sudden, intense spiritual pressure bore down upon them all. With her powers being blocked, Sayomi was unable to stand up against the force that was threatening to crush her lungs and fell to her knees, she gasped, cringing when something wet and warm splashed across her face. It took her a moment to figure out what the substance was, but when she saw the red droplets on her white robe and the ground around her, she looked up with wide eyes to see that the man at the lead had bent over and there was a puddle of blood gathering quickly beneath him. With a sickening cough the man fell forward into his own blood, twitching and writhing as death's grip found him. The four men positioned around her cried out one by one and they too all fell to the ground, puddles of red collecting around them and pooling around Sayomi's knees.

With her bonds still in place, Sayomi was powerless and her senses were being overloaded by the sheer force of the reiatsu that was pressing down upon her. She could hardly breathe let alone focus on the reiatsu to try and figure out where and who the attacker was. When the pressure around her died down, she gasped and clutched at her chest as she panted for air, it was then that she suddenly realized who the reiatsu belonged to and that there was more than one person with him and she recognized all of them, though she only knew the names of one other.

Four men in white shinigami robes were suddenly surrounding her, there was one on either side of her, one behind her and one in front of her. The one to her right, who she knew was Grimmjow, ripped the red bonds from her neck and wrists before hefting her up by her right arm roughly, he kept his grasp on her tight as the man in front of them began to walk forward. Stumbling, Sayomi was pulled along beside Grimmjow following the man that had his back to her. It was this one that drew her attention and she stared at his white clad back for several seconds as they walked into the open area that surrounded the base of the Repentance Tower before finding her voice.

"G-Gin," Sayomi stuttered as she stared at the back of the silver haired man that stood before her.

The man looked over his shoulder, his eyes were closed in a fox like grin as he lifted a hand to wave at her. "Hey there little sis, seems ya got yourself in a bit of trouble so I came to rescue you."

"You're...you're dead," she mumbled numbly as she continued to stare at him.

"Well, about that..." A frown took up residence on his face and sighed, scratching at the side of his head in thought.

"I saw you die, I saw that bastard kill you," Sayomi yelled as tears built up in her eyes. "What kind of sick joke is this?"

"Stop your damn shouting, this isn't a joke, he ain't dead," the blue haired man beside her snapped, shaking her arm harshly. "Now can we get the hell outta here, there's a bunch of damn soul reapers on the way here already!?"

"Now, now Grimmjow there's no need for such language," Gin admonished the Espada airily.

"Whatever," he growled. "But we've got her, so can we go now?"

Gin opened his mouth to reply but any words that may have been said were drowned out in the blast that tore apart the ground where he had been standing.

Sayomi could have sworn she saw a brief flash of pink, but she couldn't be sure as dirt and rocks hurtled into the air, she protected herself as best she could with her arms, but still received several cuts and bruises from the falling debris. A moment later, a powerful flare in reiatsu made her stumble and nearly fall. Even though the reiatsu suppressors had been removed she was still in a weakened state from having had her soul attacked and then forcefully removed the body she had been living in as well as spending the last several days with the reiatsu suppressors on and in cells enforced with Seki Seki stone.

"Byakuya," she cried, trying to get away from Grimmjow but in her weakened state all she did was tire herself out and with Byakuya's flaring reiatsu as well as her brother's she collapsed, her knees giving out and forcing Grimmjow to catch her and lift her into his arms. "Byakuya," she cried weakly as the dust cleared and she saw that her brother and Byakuya stood several yards away, facing each other on the walkway that led to the tower.

Gin was grinning his usual grin while Byakuya's eyes hardened and watched the white clad traitor.

"It's so nice to see you again captain Kuchiki, how's your sister," Gin asked jovially.

Byakuya's hand tightened around the hilt of his zanpakuto, but he didn't answer the question.

"Not very talkative, are you," Gin sighed. "Well that's okay, I don't have much time and would like to get my own little sister home, she doesn't appear to be feeling well."

"You would take your own sister back to the man that made her believe you were dead and then let his subordinate nearly kill her just to remove her soul from the gigai she inhabited," Byakuya asked coldly.

His grin fell and was replaced by a frown. "I see your point, however my options are limited and since I know that Aizen doesn't plan on killing Sayomi and that you do plan on letting her be killed, I'll take my chances and take her home with me."

"Did...did you know, Byakuya, did you know Gin was alive?"

The eyes of both men turned to her, her brother was still frowning and a similar frown found its way onto Byakuya's face.

"Yes."

"Why, why wouldn't you tell me that?!" Sayomi cried.

"Because I was ordered not to, just as everyone else was," he replied.

Her eyes widened and she couldn't find anyway to respond to the statement. 'Just as everyone else was.' The words kept repeating themselves in her head, making her dizzy and nauseous. It made her wonder just who 'everyone' was and how many people knew that Gin had been alive the entire time.

"Hm, as much as I'd love ta stay and chat, captain, I'm afraid it's time for us ta go," Gin said, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.

"And what makes you think we'll let you leave," Rangiku Matsumoto asked, appearing behind Gin, her sword drawn and at his throat.

"Hello again, Rangiku, it's so nice to see you alive and well," Gin said conversationally.

"Put the girl down, Espada," another voice demanded icily.

Turning, Sayomi saw that the voice belonged to the current captain of the tenth division, Toshiro Hitsugaya and he was glaring coldly at Grimmjow.

"Fuck off," Grimmjow growled.

The young captain's brow twitched in anger, but he refrained from snapping out a reply.

"Hey Grimmjow, why don't you get Sayomi out of here, I'll handle the rest," Gin told him.

"You're not going anywhere," Hitsugaya growled, but he was forced to leap aside as a blade of sharp steel shot towards him it barely missed him and due to the angle, it sliced through Grimmjow's sleeve.

"What the hell?!"

"Oops, sorry about that," Gin chuckled.

"Enough games Ichimaru," Byakuya stated, raising his zanpakuto before him. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

"No!" Sayomi cried, but her cry was lost in the blast of energy that tore chunks of the earth apart and sent them flying into the air, there was a flurry of pink petals mixed in with the falling earth that Sayomi knew were more deadly than the falling debris ever would be. "Gin! Byakuya, stop!" She struggled in Grimmjow's arms, but her entire body as shaking from the exertion as Byakuya's reiatsu flared followed by Gin's and then Rangiku's as she was forced to release her captive when his overwhelming amount of spirit energy assaulted her, that and she didn't want to be anywhere near the angry Kuchiki and risk getting caught up in the deadly dance of his zanpakuto. "Put me down, Grimmjow!"

"Are you stupid, I'm getting us out of here," Grimmjow shouted in reply, turning to the two other Arrancar that were behind him. "Open it!"

The two masked and white covered men bowed their heads before turning around, but before they could do anything blood rained into the air and showered the dry hilltop, both men then fell to their knees covered in deeps cuts.

"You're not going anywhere Espada, now put her down," Hitsugaya ordered as Rangiku appeared behind him, the hilt of her sword in her hand, the blade itself had disintegrated to ash that was swirling around it, reforming the blade.

"Screw you," Grimmjow grunted.

Sayomi cringed when a loud explosion shook the ground, she heard a grunt of pain and whipped her head around to see that Byakuya was gripping his right arm with his left, blood pouring over his fingers and dripping to the ground, forming a small puddle of the substance. Through the dirt and dust that was floating and spinning through the air she could see her brother grinning at Byakuya and lifting his short sword, but what Gin didn't see was that the blade of Byakuya's sword had not reformed and that there were pink petals glittering all around him.

Taking a deep breath, Sayomi summoned the small amount of her spirit energy that was left and shoved against Grimmjow, surprising him enough to get him to release her. She fell from his arms, but managed to land on her feet before she disappeared.

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto could only watch in confusion and shock as Sayomi disappeared, even Grimmjow didn't know what to do and the three stood a few feet apart staring at the spot Sayomi had been just a moment before.

Just as Byakuya commanded Senbonzakura to close in on Gin and Gin was commanding Shinso to shoot down Byakuya, a blurry shape appeared in the dust, in the next blink the two men attacked and what happened next no one expected.

Gin felt something push against his chest and was forced to take several steps backward, Shinso's blade had already began to elongate and before he could recall it, it tore through something soft and he heard someone let out a sickening cough before a flurry of pink surrounded the place he had been standing and thick red liquid sprayed high into the air in every direction imaginable as he watched, a look of sheer incomprehension on his face. The look was very out of place on him and his normally closed eyes opened briefly to watch the horrible scene before him.

It took Byakuya a moment to realize what had happened and he quickly dispersed Senbonzakura, but it was too late, the blood that had showered into the air splattered the ground at his feet. The dust fully cleared and the sight that his gray eyes looked upon, made his stomach churn as he realized that the blood coating Senbonzakura was not Gin's, but the blood of a woman he had never wanted to see on his blade.

Sayomi stood with her back to him, her white hair was covered in splotches of red and the white robe she had worn was ripped to shreds and stained a deep crimson. Blood was dripping from the soaked garment and running in rivers down her arms and legs from the many slashes and deep gashes that covered her body. She stood completely still, staring at her brother that was only a few steps away from her and completely unharmed as he gazed back at her.

Everyone was speechless at the sight before them, frozen to their spots as they stared at the small woman covered in blood from head to toe.

Her vision was growing black, but the sting and pain of the many wounds that covered her was dimming. Lifting a pale hand, Sayomi tried to reach for Gin, but instead her body gave out on her, her head tilted back, her eyes closed and she fell towards the ground.

She didn't know it, but she was caught before she could fall into the lake of her own blood that had collected around her. Gathering her in his arms, Gin turned to Grimmjow and nodded, before anyone else could move, Gin with Sayomi in his arms, Grimmjow and the two fallen Arrancar were engulfed in a bright yellow light and were rising through the air into several rips that had appeared suddenly to take them back to Hueco Muendo.

* * *

Please review!


	31. Chapter 31 Pride Lost

Disclaimer-I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 31**

**Pride Lost**

Warmth. That was the first thing that Sayomi became aware of, a strange warmth that seemed to reach every inch of her soul. The warmth soon melted away as she became aware of the stinging pain she could feel in almost every inch of her body. She groaned and tried to move, but was stopped by a soft, comforting and familiar voice.

"Please don't move too much Sayomi, you're badly hurt."

Her eyes snapped open and Sayomi looked at the red headed girl that was sitting beside her. "Orihime," she asked in confusion.

Smiling reassuringly, Orihime nodded, but Sayomi knew the girl too well, the smile was too forced, fake. As the fog lifted from her mind, Sayomi shot up, crying out in pain and hunching over her knees as her body reflexively curled up.

"Sayomi," Orihime cried worriedly, reaching forward to help the girl.

"Was it all just an illusion," Sayomi asked through gritted teeth, her body shaking from the pain that was washing over her in waves.

"Wh-what," Orihime stuttered out, her eyes growing large at the strange question that she didn't understand.

"An illusion, it was all an illusion. I never got you out of here, did I?"

Blinking at the look of anger that flashed onto Sayomi's face, Orihime tried to speak up, but could only stutter out a bunch of nonsense.

A door behind Orihime opened, allowing the bright white light that lit the hallway beyond it to pour into the room, Sayomi scowled, closing her eyes against the harsh glare that filtered into the dimly lit room she was in. It was her personal bedroom in Los Noches and she was laid out on her bed.

"Ah, you're awake."

Sayomi turned her head to stare at her brother as he closed the door and sauntered over to her. "Why?" She hissed at him through her clenched teeth.

"Hmm," he hummed, cocking his head as if confused by the question.

"It was just an illusion, all of it? You dying, me fighting Aizen, me getting Orihime out of here. Why," she repeated.

"This won't do, you should be resting not yelling," Gin replied, folding his arms over his chest, sighing when Sayomi glared at him. "The only part that was an illusion was my death, everything else was quite real. Even I didn't know what had happened when you stumbled into Karakura Town half dead, ya had me worried you know."

"How could you have not known what the bastard was planning, Gin, when you have always been his lackey," she hissed, narrowing her eyes and clenching her hands around the sheets that covered her, her nails biting into her palms enough to draw blood. "You do as he tells you to, so why should I believe you?"

"'Cause you're still my baby sister and I've never lied to you."

Sayomi smashed her teeth together, breathing raggedly as she glared at her feet. "Why did you come for me?" She asked after a moment, she no longer sounded angry, but lost and betrayed.

"I couldn't leave ya there to die, now could I?" Gin replied as if the answer had been obvious.

"And because _he_ wanted you to, right?"

A corner of his mouth dropping ever so slightly, Gin drew his brows together as he looked at Sayomi, she wouldn't look up from staring at her feet, but it didn't keep him from seeing the hopelessness that was beginning to form in her eyes. Gin sighed. "Get some rest lil sis, I'll visit ya later. Take good care of her for me, kay?" He finished by grinning at Orihime who nodded mutely at his request.

"Please lie back down Sayomi, I can't heal you if you don't relax," Orihime pleaded after Gin had retreated from the room.

Releasing the now blood dotted sheets, Sayomi obediently laid back down and stared blankly up at the ceiling to contemplate the day's events. After only a few moments, she gasped, her blue eyes widening and her face draining of all color.

"I..I can't..."

"Sayomi," Orihime questioned worriedly as she watched tears fill Sayomi's eyes and then drip down her face, glistening in the little light there was in the room.

"He's gone," she whispered hoarsely. "Fuyukaze is gone."

An intense amount of loneliness and sadness washed over her when she realized she couldn't converse with Fuyukaze, she could barely even sense him at the moment and it made her feel incredibly vulnerable and helpless. The feelings of despair began to morph into different emotions, she was overwhelmed by a sense of betrayal and then red hot anger and bitterness followed soon after.

The only one who she could truly trust and rely upon had been taken from her and was now such a great distance from her that she couldn't hear his familiar, arrogant and playful voice that always brought her comfort. With him being gone, she felt almost completely powerless, she may have become a mix of a Soul Reaper and a Hollow, but she was a Soul Reaper first and foremost, and Soul Reapers were one with their zanpakuto. A zanpakuto was more than a sword, it was a companion, a comrade, and extension of oneself and was counted upon to help one survive. She was far from powerless without Fuyukaze, but she also was no fool and knew that without him, she was useless as a warrior, he was her greatest source of strength and he was gone from her mind.

The anger and bitterness she felt began to melt away and all she could feel was an overwhelming sense of betrayal and loneliness. With the anger gone and no longer clouding her thoughts, she began to think over the situation she found herself in. She was once again back in Hueco Muendo under Aizen's watchful eyes and now that she knew that the death of her brother was nothing more than an illusion, she began to wonder why. Why had Aizen wanted her to believe that he had killed Gin? Had it been some sort of test to see what she would do? And if so, he had to have known that she would react the way she had, he had known of her original reason for coming to Hueco Muendo and he had to have realized that if she had really wanted to kill Gin, she would have done so by now.

She began to think of reasons why and she kept coming back to one scenario: Aizen had known she would flee Los Noches and would go back to Karakura. He had known that Ichigo and Kisuke would help her and he had known that Byakuya was there, waiting to take her back to Soul Society. That brought forward another question though: had Ulquiorra actually tried to kill her or had he purposely attacked her and targeted her soul?

It didn't take her long once she had realized that Aizen had probably told Ulquiorra to directly attack her soul that she realized the most likely reason why and she berated herself for not thinking of it sooner. She was a soul living in a gigai at the time and if he was to make her his queen then she wouldn't do him much good while residing in a gigai. He had wanted her out of the gigai and he had let her leave with Orihime because he knew that Orihime would be able to save her once she was forcefully removed from the artificial body.

Of course coming to those conclusions also led her to believe that Grimmjow had only helped her because he had been told to. She and Orihime had been allowed to escape because Aizen knew he would be able to get them both back in time.

Letting out a tired sigh, Sayomi closed her eyes as Orihime continued to work over her, healing the many wounds she had suffered at Byakuya's hand and even Gin's. It was the thought of Byakuya that made her lips tilt upwards slightly as she recalled the night before her execution date. The warmth and familiarity of his body as he had carried her, the feel of his lips on hers and the sound of his voice as he had spoken.

Her eyes snapped as she gasped. "He knew," she whispered quietly, horror dawning over her as she put the final pieces of the puzzle that was the last several days into place.

"Sayomi?" Orihime inquired in confusion.

"He knew that someone would be coming for me, he knew that I would be brought back here. He knew and he had no intention of doing anything to stop it." Sayomi fell into silence. If Byakuya had known that someone was coming then others had to have known too, just like everyone else had known that Gin was still alive, but the question was, who else had known and why had they let her be taken back to Aizen?

"W-well... Shinji said that Aizen wouldn't let you die. He said that Aizen probably planned on getting you out of Soul Society before you could be executed. He seemed to think that if that happened that you would feel like you had nowhere else to go and would decide to stay here as his queen," Orihime said uncertainly.

Sayomi blinked over at the girl in surprise. "Shinji said that?"

Swallowing, Orihime nodded. "Yeah, when Ichigo and I went to tell him and the others that you were going to be taken back to Soul Society by captain Kuchiki."

"And I assume that Ichigo would have told Byakuya that theory, right?"

"He did, after talking to Urahara about it first."

"I see. So everyone already had an idea that everything that was going on was part of Aizen's plan. I wonder why I was allowed to be taken though, if there was suspicion that I was going to be rescued then why on earth weren't there more people there?"

"Ichigo said that the head captain didn't think anything was going to happen, he didn't believe Aizen would come after you," Orihime replied.

"Really? That's very interesting. Aizen wants everyone to see his rescue of me as a sort of admittance that I really am a traitor and have willingly joined him to fight against them. I wonder who will believe it and who won't," Sayomi said, more to herself than to Orihime as she stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling above her.

* * *

Sayomi awoke alone in her room, Orihime was gone likely back in the room that had been reserved for her there. Pushing herself up and groaning at the tightness she could feel throughout her body from the recently healed injuries, she put her bare feet onto the cold flooring and slowly stood up. The room was dark except for the light of the ever shining moon that filtered through the window behind the bed.

Deciding to take a shower to help relieve the soreness in her muscles, Sayomi made her way to the bathroom, peeling off the clean white robe that she wore and letting it fall to the floor carelessly as she walked. The hot water of the shower proved to be just what she needed, she felt more awake and much less tense as the water washed over her. When she stepped out of the shower, she toweled herself off before wrapping the plush white fabric around her body.

"What do you want," she asked coldly as she stepped out of the bathroom, not even bothering to look at the figure that was leaning against the wall by the door that led into her bedroom as she stepped towards the closet to the left.

"A thank you would be nice," a masculine voice grunted in reply.

"You expect me to thank you, Grimmjow," Sayomi asked, sounding almost disgusted with the idea as she let the towel that covered her fall to the floor. "You didn't do anything because you wanted to, you did only what you were told, there's no reason for me to thank you for that."

Glaring at her bare back, Grimmjow snorted and turned away. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I," she asked in mock sweetness, turning her head to smile at him over her shoulder as she slipped on a pair of white hakama before grabbing a white backless halter top with a high collar and pulling it over her head. "Aizen told you to let me leave with Orihime, didn't he? He also told you to help Gin retrieve me from Soul Society, so are you sure I don't know what I'm talking about?" She turned toward him, smoothing out her shirt as she did so. "So why are you here, Grimmjow?"

Glaring at the white haired woman as she grabbed black socks and a pair of sandals, Grimmjow answered her. "I'm here because Aizen wants to see you."

"Does he now," Sayomi replied disinterestedly. "And you, the good boy you are, came all the way here to get me for him, how nice of you."

"Lets go," he growled.

"Lead the way," she replied with a mocking smile, waving a hand towards the door.

She followed a few steps behind Grimmjow silently, deciding that it would be best for her to remain calm and not do anything rash when she was put into the presence of the man that had put her through a test that nearly killed her and had made her believe that Gin was dead.

When she stepped into the same room that she had been taken after failing the first mission she had been given, she kept up a blank facade and moved towards the giant balcony where Aizen stood with Gin. Grimmjow was still at her side and she couldn't help but wonder if he was there to make sure she didn't try to attack either man. Walking to her brother's side, Sayomi emotionlessly met Aizen's brown eyes.

"You look well Sayomi, I'm glad," the man said, smiling at her in an attempt to seem caring.

Sayomi lifted a white brow, but didn't say anything as she continued to stare at Aizen.

"You've figured it out, haven't you? Why I had you see an illusion of Gin's dead body, why I had Ulquiorra attack and why I allowed you to leave with Orihime," Aizen asked, smirking at her in amusement.

"You wanted me out of the gigai and you wanted me to be seen as a traitor when you sent Gin to save me from Soul Society," she answered tersely.

"You are a traitor, Sayomi, or have you forgotten everything you've done and all of the people you've abandoned," Aizen replied.

Gin's hand was suddenly on her shoulder as she prepared to lunge at the smirking brown haired man across from her. "Now, now, why don't we all just calm down."

Shaking Gin's hand off of her shoulder, she stepped up to Aizen. "Don't think you'll have me, because you won't." She made to turn and walk away but her wrist was grabbed in a crushing grasp and she was pulled around and forced against Aizen's chest.

Leaning down so that his breath could splash across her neck, Aizen whispered into her ear. "I don't think, Sayomi, because I will have you." Releasing her wrist, he smiled down at her. "You must be hungry, Gin, why don't you have the food brought in now."

Gin bowed, his grin frozen in place as he turned to do Aizen's biding. Grimmjow followed after the grinning man, he knew he wasn't wanted on the balcony anymore and he had no desire to be there either.

"I admire your stubbornness, but you will either agree to be my queen or it won't be you that suffers, but everyone you have ever cared about," Aizen told her.

"You will never touch me," she hissed.

Aizen smiled at her again, nodding to Grimmjow who had gone to stand by the door. Sayomi's eyes widened when Grimmjow opened the door and Orihime was pulled roughly inside the door by Ulquiorra. The young teenager was frightened as she looked around the room and was brought to stand in front of Sayomi and Aizen.

"Hello Orihime, sorry to have disturbed you, but I'm afraid-"

Sayomi growled, her spiritual pressure sky rocketing suddenly as she turned to Aizen, she may not have Fuyukaze, but she still had kido and her hollow form. She brought her hand up to rake her nails through the air in front of her face, but nothing happened. She didn't even have time to be confused as her spiritual pressure suddenly disappeared and she was left standing wide eyed at Aizen's side.

"Your powers will do you no good anywhere in Los Noches, Szayel was able to study your unique spiritual energy when you fought against me and was then able to program every room in the entirety of Los Noches to reject it," Aizen explained to her. "That was another reason I chose to have you see me kill Gin, I needed you to display your powers for me."

All Sayomi could do was gape at him and then blink down at her hands. She was utterly powerless and she in no way liked the feeling that left her with.

"You know what you have to do Sayomi, or would you rather watch your friend die. She'll only be the first, I wonder who should be second?"

It was at the moment as Aizen mused over who he would kill after Orihime that the very foundations of Los Noches were shaken by several intense spiritual pressures.

Both Orihime and Sayomi looked out over the endless night of Hueco Muendo, both knowing that the spirit pressures belonged to none other than Ichigo, Uryu and Chad.

"Well, it seems I'll have plenty of people to chose from. Sorry about this Orihime, it's nothing personal," Aizen told the girl that was now shaking with fear as he drew his sword.

Sayomi couldn't move or even speak as she watched Aizen lash out at Orihime, there was a sound like cloth tearing as his sword ripped through her friend's neck and blood stained the white tiles. Choking on a sob as she watched Orihime's body slowly fall to the ground, Sayomi moved to catch her, but was stopped when Aizen grabbed her arm.

"Let me go, you bastard," she yelled, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of the innocent girl whose death she had caused.

"No, you will watch her die and you will know that you could have prevented it, but didn't."

"Orihime, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry, for what?"

Sayomi's head snapped up and the bloody mess on the floor was gone, Orihime stood confused and frightened beside Ulquiorra, watching her with with unease.

"That was a warning, Sayomi, I'll give you one last chance before I kill the girl for real," Aizen leaned over her to say, his hands on her shaking shoulders.

Desperately trying to think of a way out of having to say yes, Sayomi kept seeing flashes of Orihime's bloody corpse and her fists clenched at her sides as her eyes closed. She had no choice and she knew it, but she still didn't want to agree to be Aizen's queen, to let him touch her and put his hands on her. It sickened her, but not nearly as much as having to watch her friends die.

"Fine," she whispered hoarsely. "Just don't touch them."

"I knew you'd see things my way, I'm glad."

Gin chose that moment to walk back into the room followed by several servants pushing trays of food. He cocked his head at the people on the balcony and studied his pale sister and the tears in her eyes with a frown. Sighing, he motioned for the servants to leave the food and walked towards Sayomi.

"This just won't do," he said reprovingly. "Look at her, she's a mess. I'll take her to her room and have some food brought there for her."

"That's a good idea, Gin, she's had a very trying week," Aizen agreed.

Too lost in a sea of hopelessness, Sayomi didn't even register the fact that she was being led from the room or that she was back in her own quarters until Gin sat her down on the couch and plopped down beside her.

"I'm sorry, Sayomi."

"For what, Gin?"

"Not being able to protect'ya anymore."

She shook her head. "I hardly blame you. I got myself into this mess and now I have to deal with the consequences of that, but I won't let him hurt my friends. Even if that means I have to...to let him..."

"Like I said, I'm sorry, Sayomi."

* * *

Bleh, I cannot seem to write a chapter that I'm happy with. I apologize for making you all read something I don't personally find to be very good. Then again I'm overly critical of myself, so hopefully it really isn't that bad.

Anywho thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.... ThierryMyst, gagboy, anihana, the holy see, ShioriHououEmaku, kudokuchan69, Traitor-Hero, momoirotan, EvilBoyzR2Cute, , cheeky haf-deom, itachisneko-nya, XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, when it rains in december, shinolover and AsianPsycho. 16 total, the most reviewers for a singly chapter of The Night Beauty so far so thank you all very much.

And as usual, please review.


	32. Chapter 32 What I Have To

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 32**

**What I Have To**

Sleep never found Sayomi, she was left staring at her ceiling in the dim white moonlight that filtered through the windows of her room and washed everything in its pale glow. She tried her best to keep track of the three reiatsu of her friends, but she was too weak to keep it up for long and ended up closing her blue eyes with a sigh when she was no longer able to continue tracking them as they made their way towards Los Noches.

She still hadn't fully recovered from her few near death experiences in the past several days and her body was tired and worn. Her mind as well. The situation she now found herself in was completely hopeless and she knew that no matter what, she would have no choice but to stand by Aizen's side. She had chosen to do so before she had been tricked into believing that Gin was dead, had resigned herself to giving herself to him, but it had been different then.

There was still a chance that she could have killed him. Now there was none.

He had won and she was going to have to come to terms with that. She was trying to think as positively as she could. She would now always be close to her brother, she would be able to continue picking on Grimmjow and she would be able to play with Wonderweiss, whom she had grown quite fond of. It wasn't much, but it helped her keep from falling into a dark black hole of despair. She was also trying to convince herself that being by Aizen's side wouldn't be all that bad. He was good looking though his eyes were often cold and hard and his face reflected a darkness that had always been there, but few had noticed before. He would be gentle with her, he had proven he was capable of it once, she only hoped that hadn't been an illusion either. She tried not to think about what he was capable of or that he was planning on destroying an entire town just to create a key that would allow him access to a world that was forbidden to shinigami so that he could sit upon a throne that he didn't deserve to occupy.

Her eyes reopened as a sudden thought struck her, if he was going to destroy Karakura then he wouldn't keep his word of not harming her friends. Most of whom resided in Karakura.

Slipping from the bed, she didn't even bother to put on any shoes and walked barefoot to her door. She nearly jumped in fright when her way was suddenly blocked by none other than Ulquiorra. It confused her to see him there, she figured she would be kept under strict watch now that she had returned and Ichigo and the others had arrived in Hueco Muendo, but she hadn't expected to be watched by Ulquiorra, Aizen's pet.

"What are you doing," he asked monotonously.

"I..." It took her a moment to gather her thoughts as she blinked dumbly at Ulquiorra who regarded her boredly with his bright, but lifeless green eyes the entire time. "I wanted to see Aizen...I had something I wanted to ask him."

Her eyes widened when Ulquiorra actually bowed to her before straightening again and saying, "Of course, this way, Sayomi-sama." He then immediately turned to lead her down the corridor to her right.

She followed him silently, there was nothing to say. It seemed that even though she had been forced to agree to become Aizen's queen, she was still going to be treated accordingly by every person that lived under Aizen's rule. Being lost in her own thoughts, Sayomi almost ran into Ulquiorra when the man stopped to raise his hand to tap against two large white doors that she knew she had never stood in front of before.

"Come in, Ulquiorra."

Sayomi swallowed, nodding her thanks to Ulquiorra as he pushed one of the doors open for her and inclined his head to her as she walked past him and into the room beyond. The room was enormous and only dimly lit, but the bright white walls made it seem brighter than it really was. There wasn't much in the room aside from a rather large desk and a few chairs. The far wall was gone, allowing the room to be more open and it opened to a rounded balcony that looked over a good portion of Los Noches. There was another room to the right through what appeared to be a short hallway.

Aizen was currently standing on the balcony, he seemed amused to see her as she walked through the large room and made her way towards him. He didn't speak to her until she was only a few steps away and had come to a halt, her head down and her eyes staring blankly at the mirror like surface of the marble floor.

"You seem troubled, Sayomi."

She finally looked up at him, being able to regain most of her composure as she squared her shoulders and held herself with more grace than she had managed all day. "I was thinking about things and I realized that there is a problem with our agreement."

"And that would be," he asked, a brow tilting curiously and his lips tweaking up in amusement.

"You're going to destroy Karakura town, but I have friends there. Friends you said you wouldn't harm if I agreed to be your queen."

"Actually," Aizen began matter-of-factly. "I never said that. I said that your friends would be the ones to pay the price if you didn't agree, not that I wouldn't harm them even after you agreed." He could see her faltering as if she were stuck between crying or screaming in anger, but she surprised him by putting her emotions aside and looking up at him with determination.

"And what will it take to get you to agree not to harm my friends," she asked.

Aizen smirked, a small chuckle slipping from between his lips. "You really are an amazing woman, Sayomi. I'll make you a deal..."

Sayomi's eyes widened and her breath stuck in her throat, her vision swam as her chest tightened and her stomach churned violently. She blinked her eyes, refocusing her thoughts and taking a long, deep breath to calm herself and force herself to become the cold, distant and immovable woman she was capable of being when she was determined.

She listened to Aizen speak, all the while forcing all her emotions to the back of her mind, pushing them away and ignoring them as well as her heart that was beginning to ache with guilt and sadness at what she knew she was going to have to do. Sacrifice her pride, her beliefs and her body so that she could at least ensure the safety and well being of her friends.

"They won't listen to me, not without me giving them what they came here for," Sayomi stated, looking up into Aizen's eyes unwaveringly.

"Then give them what they want," he replied with a partial smirk as he raised a hand and ran his fingers over Sayomi's cheek.

"And you'll leave them alone?"

"As long as they leave."

His hand was moving towards her hair, his fingers burying themselves in the silky white mass of silk strands that fell to her waist and entangling themselves there.

"Fine," she said before stepping closer to Aizen and placing both of her hands on his cheeks and pulling him down so that their lips could meet. She could feel her stomach revolting and her senses screaming at her to stop, but it was too late. She had made up her mind and her friends were more important to her than her own pride and wellbeing. Pushing aside her own feelings and trying to fool herself into believing that she could very well be happy with Aizen if she just gave him a chance, she let the man pull her closer to his body and run his hands down her exposed back.

* * *

Sayomi's eyes snapped open and she pulled a soft, white sheet over her body as she sat up and glanced around the room. It was completely empty and she was alone in the large bed that she had willingly shared with Aizen the night before. She was thankful for the solitude as she climbed out of the large bed and dressed hurriedly. Her hands were shaking and she looked as if she were about to collapse as she struggled to get dressed and fight back the warm tears that threatened to fill her eyes.

She felt dirty and nauseous as she practically stumbled out of Aizen's room and made her way to her own. She didn't see a single person as she forced herself to walk with as much dignity and pride as she could manage after what she had done only hours before. Her stomach turned violently and she ran the last few yards to her room, slamming the door open and rushing to her bathroom just as hot, salty tears began to pour down her cheeks. She made it to the toilet before vomiting until there was nothing left for her to possibly expel from her body. She was shivering as she made her way to the shower and turned on the hot water, she grimaced as the water poured over her body, scalding her exposed skin and turning it a bright red.

She hadn't bothered to remove her clothing as she sat beneath the stream of burning hot liquid, they clung to her small body, making her feel heavier than she already was and she sank to the ground. Her knees were drawn into her chest and her hands rested uselessly beside her feet as her head tilted back, resting on the glass of the shower stall that was already beginning to fog. The tears that continued to fall from her eyes were no longer discernible from the water droplets that were running down her face from her wet hair that was matted against her head.

Her stomach heaved again and she turned to her side, dry heaving for several minutes before letting herself collapse and lay on her side as the water continued to scald her body. Despite the temperature of the water, she was shivering as if she were freezing, her body wracked by strong tremors every few seconds. Tremors she didn't notice as she went numb and her let her mind go completely blank.

* * *

Gin didn't wait long after sensing Sayomi flee Aizen's chambers before making his way to her private room. He carefully let himself in and made his way towards the sound of running water. Steam was pouring through the open door that led to her bathroom and he slowly began to make his way towards the door, calling for Sayomi as he went.

When he got no answer, he peeked around the door, pushing it open just a little further and saw the open shower door and Sayomi lying fully clothed beneath the constant spray of hot water. With a forlorn sigh, he stepped into the shower, shutting off the water and leaning over her, she was staring blankly at the wall of the shower, her eyes were distant and she was shivering as if she were freezing even though it was now rather warm in the bathroom.

"Sit up, lil sis," he prodded. When she made no attempt to move, he sighed and nudged her arm several times. "Sit up or I tickle you, yur choice."

"Shut up, Gin," Sayomi mumbled, slowly lifting herself back into a sitting position.

He placed a thick, soft white towel over her shoulders and ruffled her hair which earned him an annoyed sigh as Sayomi shifted away from his touch. "You ok?"

It was Sayomi's turn to sigh as she shook off the numbness that had seeped into her bones and had made her mind go black. "That's a dumb question."

"I know."

"Then just shut up, I don't want to talk about it," she replied quietly, pulling her knees into her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Ok, but can we not talk about it in the other room?"

"Why don't you just leave."

"Nah, I'll stay. Don't have anythin' else to do anyway," Gin shrugged. "'sides you look hungry, I'll get some food, put some dry clothes on, k?"

Sayomi remained sitting on the cooling tile of the shower stall for several minutes after he walked out, shutting the bathroom door behind himself. She peeled off her clothes that were stuck to her body and turned the water back on. Scrubbing herself clean with green tea and rose scented soap until her skin was raw and pink, trying her best to cleanse herself of the night before. After finishing her shower, she wrapped a dry towel around herself and stepped out of the stall. She brushed her hair and pulled the long locks into a bun that she secured with a few bobby pins. Once her hair was done, she made sure the towel was wrapped securely around her body before opening the bathroom door and looking around her bedroom, Gin was nowhere in sight and she figured he was in the living room.

Stepping up to her closet, she grabbed a few articles without really noticing what they were and slipped behind her changing screen to put them on. She ended up in white hakama and a white sleeveless turtlenecked top, the top portion from her bust to the turtleneck was all white lace. After getting dressed, she made her way to her living room to see that Gin had kept to his word. He hadn't left and he had gotten a good deal of food that was spread over the table in front of the couch.

Taking a seat beside Gin, Sayomi laid her head on his shoulder and just sat there, remembering how much she really had missed him and how nice it was to have him be there for her.

"I need your help, Gin, I need you to take me to Ichigo and the others."

Gin cocked his head to look down at Sayomi, waiting for more of an explanation as to why she needed to find the three boys that had invaded Hueco Muendo.

"I need to take Orihime to them and then I need them to leave this place and never come back," she finished.

"Only if you eat something first and put on a sweater...It's cold outside," Gin said when Sayomi turned to give him a strange look.

* * *

Walking next to Gin and behind Grimmjow, Sayomi ignored the quiet tapping of their sandals as they walked through the boringly white halls of Los Noches. Having almost fully recovered from her night spent with Aizen, she was carrying herself with cold detachment again and the few low ranking arrancar that they passed all cowered away from the two siblings as they walked.

There was a brief pause in her steps as Grimmjow pushed the door to Orihime's room open, she was the first to step into the room and see the surprised and confused girl that had risen from her couch.

"S-Sayomi?" The girl stuttered as Sayomi walked dutifully into the room before stopping a few yards away from her.

"Hello, Orihime. I need you to come with me," Sayomi replied, lifting a hand and twitching her fingers towards the girl.

Gin was the one to step forward, binding Orihime with a low level kido spell, after which, Grimmjow tossed a sheet over the frightened girl and hefted her onto a shoulder before she could fall, immobile to the floor.

"Are you sure about this, Sayomi," Gin inquired as he stepped up alongside his much shorter sister.

"Yes, now let's go," she answered coldly.

"Ya ready, Grimmjow," Gin asked the blue haired man and once he got a grunt in affirmation, he turned to Sayomi and hefted her into his arms. "Then lets go."

* * *

"You talk too much," Ichigo grumbled with an exaggerated sigh as he plopped his chin into his palm and dropped his elbow on to his knee.

"Well excuse me for trying to warn you that there might be vast differences in the powers of the hollows that we've fought while in the living world and this one," Uryu replied shortly, dusting off his white coat before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"We've been running for hours, but we don't seem to have gotten any closer," Chad spoke up, hoping to change the subject and keep the two stressed boys from fighting amongst themselves when they had other things that they needed to focus on.

Glancing behind him at the gigantic palace like structure that stretched out for what could only be miles, Uryu frowned. "The distance is hard to gauge, all we can do is keep running towards it."

"But who knows how long that'll take, we need to get Orihime and Sayomi out of there now," Ichigo said.

"I'm aware of why we're here, Kurosaki, but we're going to wear ourselves out if we keep going at this pace. Then we'll be of no use to either of them anyway," Uryu retorted.

"Hm," Ichigo straightened when he heard the white sand that covered everything around them move. He noticed a small lizard like hollow burrowing out of the sand, it looked around with it's large eyes before diving back into the sand and disappearing. "It's kind of hard to believe that those tiny hollows could actually be as strong as some of the hollows we've fought back home."

"This place is made of spirit particles, even the air is full of them and that's where they get their strength. It would be best to be on our guard, like I was-"

"Ok, Chad lets go," Ichigo cut in, having stopped listening to Uryu a while before. He jumped up from the ground, patting his clothes free of the sand he had sat in for lack of anywhere else to sit and then started walking towards the domed palace of Los Noches again.

"Hey, I was talking!" Uryu snapped.

"Yeah, you do that a lot," Ichigo muttered.

"I was-"

All three boys stopped in their tracks as the ground shook and a loud roaring sound ripped through the quiet tension of the air. Looking behind them, they were surprised to see what looked like a human child that was crying and two adults running in fear from an enormous worm like hollow.

"There's no way! Humans other than us here," Uryu shouted.

"We'll think about it later, lets help them," Ichigo yelled back, grabbing his large zanpakuto from his back and charging forward.

It didn't take long to figure out that they were wrong. The little girl was a hollow as were her two companions and the worm like hollow was their friend. They had been playing a game of tag and had just been very, very in to it.

"We's very sorries!" The little girl cried, bowing with her friends to Ichigo, Uryu and Chad who all exchanged confused glances. "We's didn't means to cause a mithundertanding. We was just playin' a game."

"Uh, it's ok, but weren't you crying," Ichigo replied slowly as her stared at the little girl. She had strangely colored disheveled light green hair and big brown eyes, her forehead was covered by a skull like mask that looked like it belonged in a cartoon not on a hollow, it was missing a few teeth and had a crack along one side.

"Nel's a masochist, it's no fun if they's don't chase me round til I cry," the girl answered happily.

"What kinda words are you teachin' this kid," Ichigo growled, smacking the closest of Nel's buddies upside the head. He too was a hollow, he was humanoid in appearance but wore a large tiki like mask.

"'Nel', is that your name," Uryu asked.

"Yup, Nel is the arrancar Nel tu," she chirped with a toothy grin.

"...Arrancar..." Ichigo repeated in disbelief, scratching at the side of his head.

"And I'm her older brother, Pesche," a thin, ant like hollow chipped in.

"And I'm his older brother, Dondochakka, yo," the hollow that was wearing the tiki like mask added. They all then introduced their pet, Bawabawa before the group struck a pose that did nothing but earn them dumbfounded stares from the humans.

* * *

"How much longer," Sayomi asked, keeping her head tucked into Gin's shoulder as he flashed stepped them out of the palace of Los Noches and into the moonlit dunes of Hueco Muendo.

"Patience is a virtue, ya know."

"One I've never had, as you know," she retorted.

"Their new friends are helpin' them cross the desert. They're not too much farther, but we may not get to them first," Gin answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Lunuganga," Grimmjow spoke up from the right.

"Who's that," Sayomi asked.

"The guardian of Los Noches of course," Gin piped up.

* * *

Everyone stared up at the giant monster made of sand, unsure what to do now that they knew that it was little use to fight something that could reform at will no matter how many shots you took at it.

"Sooo...Does he have a weakness," Ichigo asked Nel who was cowering behind him.

"I-I can't tells yous that!"

"He's trying to kill you too, you know," Ichigo argued as he struggled to stay on his feet when Bawabawa, who they were all riding on turned to avoid a swipe from Lunuganga.

They all cried out in alarm when the sand around them began to swirl like a whirlpool. It was quickly pulling them down into its depths and they were beginning to think that it was all over since the only weakness of the sand monster was water. Something that was scarce in Hueco Muendo.

"Now that's enough playin' for today, why don't ya leave the rest to us, hm?"

The sand stopped sinking and Lunuganga swiveled his head around to look at who had spoken. Not a moment later he sunk back into the sand as if he had never existed at all.

"What just happened," Ichigo asked as Bawabawa slithered his way out of the hole they found themselves in.

"Y-you're.." Nel stuttered over her words as she stared at three people that stood outside the sink hole.

Stepping from behind Gin, Sayomi smiled up at Ichigo whose eyes widened to see her. "Hey, Ichigo, Uryu, Chad. I'm afraid I can't let you go any further."

"Sayomi, what are you doing," Uryu questioned seriously, frowning down at his friend.

"What I have to."

* * *

Please review!


	33. Chapter 33 All in Vain

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 33**

**All In Vain**

Uryu frowned down at the white haired woman that stood beside the silver haired, grinning man that he knew to be her brother, she seemed to have a distant and detached look in her eyes as she returned his gaze emotionlessly.

"What are you saying," he asked, never taking his eyes from Sayomi as he, Ichigo and Chad slid off of Bawabawa's back to stand several yards in front of her.

"And what are _they_ doing here," Ichigo grunted, tossing a heated look at both Gin and Grimmjow.

"Me? What kinda brother would I be if I let my baby sister run around by herself in the desert? And Grimmy, he's gotta soft spot for Sayomi so we let 'im tag along," Gin answered, grinning widely.

Grimmjow growled at Gin, muttering curses under his breath at the man's words.

"I'm saying that I want you to leave," Sayomi replied bluntly, ignoring the words that had been exchanged by the others.

"There's no way in hell we're leaving without-"

Ichigo's shouts were cut off as Sayomi simply said Grimmjow's name without ever looking at him. It was then that the boy's realized that the blue haired Espada was holding something in front of him that was covered with a white sheet. When Sayomi had called his name, the man had pushed the object in front of him forward, pulling the sheet away to reveal that it was a person, not an object, that had been in his arms. The person was Orihime, her arms bound behind her and her mouth covered to keep her from making any noise. She hurtled towards Ichigo on unsteady legs, her hair cascading out behind her and her eyes widening as she caught sight of him. He caught her before she could trip and fall into the white sand and helped to steady her.

"You have what you came here for, now leave," Sayomi stated, her voice was nearly blank except for a slight commanding note.

"What about you," Uryu asked, pushing his glasses up his nose as he studied his blue eyed friend.

Sayomi let her eyes float from Ichigo to Uryu, but her face remained a mask of nothingness. "I'm staying here."

"What!? We aren't leaving you!" Ichigo shouted, taking a step towards her.

Grimmjow moved in front of her, itching for a fight with the amber eyed teen and willing to use any excuse he could to start it. He knew that if anyone of the people in front of him so much as made a move towards Sayomi that seemed harmful to her, he wouldn't be blamed, at least not by Aizen, for defending her.

"Stop, Grimmjow," Sayomi demanded, her voice rising as the man's spirit energy began to spike in reaction to the mere thought of a fight. "You aren't here to fight them, understand?"

Smashing his teeth together, he turned to glare at her, but upon seeing the look that she was bestowing upon him, he growled and stubbornly stalked back to stand just behind her. He continued to sneer at Ichigo as the orange haired boy looked at Sayomi with a mix of anger and confusion.

"For someone that ran away from this world a broken and bloody mess and a supposed enemy to it's leader, you seem to command a lot of respect in it," Uryu observed.

"Do I," Sayomi replied with a dry chuckle, cocking her head to the side as if she were confused by the statement. "I hadn't noticed."

Grimmjow snorted behind her, tossing his head to the side when Gin turned to look at him with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I wonder why that is," Uryu continued.

Sayomi shrugged disinterestedly. "Who knows."

"Why are you staying, Sayomi," he inquired seriously.

"I told you, because I'm doing what I have to. Now, you have Orihime, it's time you left, otherwise I can't guarantee your safety."

Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he stared at the white haired woman whose hair was pulled into a bun and that was wearing almost all white from head to toe, Uryu again pushed his glasses up his nose, a motion that had a way of helping him sort through his thoughts.

"Are you saying that if we don't leave you can't guarantee our safety," he asked after a moment.

She frowned at the black haired boy, she didn't want to give too much away about the bargain that she had struck with Aizen and she knew that if any one of the people before her could figure it out, it would be Uryu. He knew her the best and he knew the right questions to ask. "I'm saying, it's safer for you to go, now."

"Why are you doing this, Sayomi," Orihime cried, her eyes filling with tears as she pleading looked at the girl whose life she had saved numerous times. "They tried to kill you!"

"Leave," Sayomi stated forcefully, spinning on her heel and causing a small plume of sand to rise into the air like a cloud of fog. She was well trained at remaining unemotional, but she was finding it hard to see the looks on the faces of the people she would no longer call her friends. They were confused, worried and Orihime looked devastated by the command to leave her there in the hands of the very man that had purposely made her believe her brother was dead just so that he could examine her spiritual pressure, seal it off, and then have her soul directly attacked on top of that.

"Aizen wouldn't just let you hand over Orihime after going through the trouble of bringing her here two different times, meaning you're either doing this without his knowledge or he's allowing you to do this," Uryu said, stopping Sayomi in her tracks as she attempted to walk away. "Since you have your brother and even a member of the Espada with you, I'm assuming Aizen is aware of what you're doing, am I right?"

She sighed and turned back around, schooling her features into a calm, collected facade. "Yes, Uryu, you're right. He is aware of what I'm doing, it was by his approval that I was able to bring Orihime here, but that's all-"

"We're not leaving until you tell us why," Ichigo snapped.

"It's not your business," she answered coolly. "Now go home."

"No," Uryu stated defiantly.

Remaining calm was becoming harder for her as the people she was trying to save and had gone so far as to pledge herself to a man she loathed and even sleep with him to do so, constantly questioned her motives. There were cracks in the mask she had put on to see them and she knew that they could now see the hopeless and lost look that was in her eyes as she stared at them. "Please, just go," she pleaded.

"Come with us, you don't belong here-"

"You're wrong," she said, cutting Uryu off. "I do belong here and I'm not leaving, but you are, or would you make the things I've done to keep you safe, be in vain?"

"What did you do, Sayomi," Uryu pressed.

Sayomi didn't answer, she just stared into Uryu's eyes for several seconds before sighing and turning away again. "I'll say it one more time, leave, or I will force you to do so."

"Dammit, Sayomi, what the hell is going on?!" Ichigo shouted furiously at the girl's retreating back. "That bastard, Aizen, tried to kill you and now you're taking orders from him?! You wanted him dead, you wanted to help save Soul Society!"

"I changed my mind," she replied forlornly, never turning to face him and continuing to walk away.

"That's bull," Ichigo yelled.

Sayomi had every intention of ignoring the boy's rant, but soon found that though she was ignoring him, Grimmjow wasn't and he was looking for a reason, any reason, to fight the orange haired substitute soul reaper. Using sonido, the Espada disappeared from Sayomi's side and flew back to where Ichigo stood, grabbing the boy by the throat and growling hatefully.

"Why don't you keep your mouth shut, she doesn't want to talk about it," he snarled.

"Grimmjow," Sayomi yelled, spinning back around and debating about flash stepping towards the two men. Now that she was outside of the walls of Los Noches she should have been able to make use of her spirit energy to use simple flash steps and even to perform kido or call upon her inner hollow.

"I wasn't talkin' to you," Ichigo snapped, reaching for his zanpakuto that was strapped to his back.

"You want to know what she did to save your sorry asses," Grimmjow bellowed, throwing Ichigo into the sand and staring menacingly down at him. "What do you think she did?! Aizen wanted one thing from her, and he got it. Do you get it now," he snarled as the group all fell silent and blinked at him before switching their attention to Sayomi and staring at her in disbelief.

Sayomi looked up at her brother as he hummed thoughtfully, his usual fox-like grin had fallen somewhat as he looked towards Grimmjow, but when he looked down at her the grin found it's way back to his face and he playfully pretended to ruffle her hair. "I think someone's a bit jealous."

She frowned, letting her pale blue orbs study Grimmjow's tense and angry form for a moment before turning her head away.

"He wanted her to be his queen, right," Ichigo asked slowly.

Uryu frowned deeply as he saw the emotions playing across Sayomi's face, she looked about to cry as she held her head high and clenched her jaw. Her breathing was heavy and it was obvious that she was upset at having Grimmjow tell them what she had done to save them.

"Let's go, Kurosaki," Uryu said. "I'm sure Orihime would like to go home."

"But-"

"Be quiet," Uryu cut in, ignoring the spluttering and confused look Ichigo was giving him. "You do realize, don't you, what he's saying. What would Aizen want from a queen?"

Ichigo went silent, his eyes dropping as he processed the statement and recalled Shinji's words about why he believed Sayomi's soul had been directly attacked while she had been in her gigai. "_He's a soul, she was essentially a human. Not exactly compatible if ya know what I mean_.."

It was at that moment that two new, but familiar spiritual pressures pressed down upon everyone, the group of hollows with Ichigo all squealed in fear and tried to cower behind their 'pet' Bawabawa. Sayomi's eyes just widened as she watched Byakuya's sister and his lieutenant appear between the two groups of people.

Being that Grimmjow was standing menacingly above Ichigo, the red headed Renji, immediately drew his zanpakuto and called upon his shikai, sending the now sectional blade flying at Grimmjow. The Espada deftly leapt aside of the blade as it crashed into the sand, causing a large eruption of dust to cloud the air. After leaping aside from the first attempted attack, Grimmjow was forced to quickly evade two other attacks before Ichigo, who had been shouting the entire time, finally managed to get the red head's attention by stepping in front of him and blocking his sword before he could send it flying again.

"What the hell are you doing, Ichigo," he shouted.

"What the hell am I doing?! What the hell are you doing! Don't just barge in and start a fight with whoever you want, you idiot," Ichigo yelled.

"I didn't start a fight, he did," Renji argued.

"We weren't fighting!"

"You were on the ground!"

"Enough," Rukia snapped, slapping both boys in the arm to get their attention. "Why don't we stop fighting amongst ourselves and focus on them," she said, sticking a finger towards Gin, Sayomi and Grimmjow who were all standing together once again.

"He's already got Orihime, so that just leaves her," Renji replied, nodding towards Sayomi.

"She's staying," Uryu stated blandly.

"What? Why?" Renji asked.

"She just is," Ichigo answered abruptly. "We were just about to go, we'll talk about this at Urahara's," he finally said gloomily, pushing himself out of the dirt and dusting off his black hakama. He still wasn't happy about leaving Sayomi there, but he understood that she was just as prideful as he was and that she had given herself to a man she loathed in order to keep them safe. He knew her friends meant a lot to her, just like his friends meant a lot to him and he too would do whatever it took to make sure that they stayed safe. So he would do as she asked and leave, but it was still hard for him to agree to leave a friend in the hands of someone who had tried to kill her and who would do nothing but make her life miserable.

"Don't worry about me, Ichigo," Sayomi said as if reading his thoughts, she even managed a weak smile as she leaned into Gin who put his hand on her head. "Gin's here and believe it or not, I do have a few friends here, including Kitten."

"That's not very reassuring," Ichigo grumbled, scratching at his orange hair and staring off into the distance.

"You're...you're really going to stay," Orihime asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Yes, I'm really going to stay. Now please leave, Grimmjow will open a garganta for you," Sayomi replied. "And another thing...from here on, I am no longer your friend or ally, I am your enemy and you are mine. If you so much as set one foot in Hueco Muendo again...I'll kill you myself for making everything I've done mean nothing."

"But we just got here, we don't want to leave yet," Renji said with a predatory grin as he looked between Gin and Grimmjow.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed, she wasn't about to have her former fiance's fiery lieutenant ruin everything. "Who said you had a choice," she asked blankly, her cocking to the side and fixing Renji with a stare that made the tall man visibly falter. She saw Ichigo frown and exchange looks with Uryu, but he didn't do anything, not wanting to possibly make the situation worse. "Or do you want to die here?"

"Who's going to kill who," Renji retorted, before making a horrible mistake when he continued to taunt Sayomi by bringing up the one thing that was better left alone. "You don't even have your zanpakuto, captain Kuchiki still has it, what do you think you can do with out it, kick me?"

Growling at the reminder that Fuyukaze was no longer with her, she forgot about remaining calm and her reiatsu sky rocketed now that it was no longer sealed. Renji sensed the pending attack and wasted no time in attacking himself, thrusting his whip like weapon in Sayomi's direction. His attack never struck, it was blocked by Gin who had grabbed Sayomi before she could charge in herself.

The sand below them began to shift and Lunuganga suddenly loomed out of its depths again in response to the spike in Sayomi's spiritual pressure. The hollows following Ichigo cried out and barely managed to escape the sand monster as he began to attack the invading group and their companions.

"Time to go, Sayomi," Gin said as the girl tried to struggle out of his grasp to help Ichigo and the others.

Sayomi didn't resist as she realized just what was happening, she had ruined everything. By responding to the taunts of the red headed soul reaper she had alerted the Arrancar and hollows following Aizen that she was in some sort of distress and they were going to react accordingly by moving to her aid.

"Open the garganta," she shouted at Grimmjow who looked at her as if she were crazy. "Just do it, Grimmjow!"

Frowning, but deciding it better to obey, he did as she asked before she was flashed away by Gin. He took one more look at the soul reapers that were fighting against the guardian of Los Noches before he too disappeared.

"The portal! Orihime, Chad, Uryu, lets go," Ichigo yelled.

The group tried to make their way towards the black hole in the air, but Lunuganga had other plans and moved to intercept them. The gigantic sand beast was then suddenly encased in ice and frozen in place as Rukia released her own zanpakuto.

"Come on," Ichigo shouted, running towards the opening that would take them home once again. He was forced to stop short as the garganta closed without warning, leaving him gaping at the place where it had been.

"Well, it looks like we'll be trying to help Sayomi after all," Uryu said, a grim undertone to his voice as he glanced towards the looming structure of Los Noches.

"She's going to be pissed," Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his unruly orange hair.

* * *

Please review!


	34. Chapter 34 Birth of a Queen

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

**Chapter 34**

**Birth of a Queen**

As soon as Sayomi was carried back inside the monotone walls of Los Noches she lost the ability to sense even the tiniest amount of reiatsu from within her own body. She lost Ichigo's and everyone else's spiritual pressures and she sighed despairingly and stopped fighting her brother, she didn't see the point in wasting what little energy she did have fruitlessly trying to escape his hold. So she settled for resting her head on his shoulder as she let him carry her through Los Noches and back to her own room.

Once in the now familiar walls of her room, Gin set her down before disappearing without out much warning and a strange frown on his face. It made her feel like there was something that he wasn't telling her, in fact she was certain that he was keeping something from her and it made a frown similar to his mar her features. With a dejected sigh, she plopped herself down on to her bed and stretched out comfortably, staring blankly at her ceiling and wishing that she didn't feel so empty and alone, she wanted to see Fuyukaze, hear his voice and feel the comforting embrace he was always ready to give her whenever she was troubled. A part of her wondered if the zanpakuto spirit missed her as badly as she missed him or if he felt relief now that he would no longer be burdened by such a bothersome master.

The hot, salty sting of tears in her eyes made her blink rapidly to clear the fog that settled over her field of vision and take a deep breath to calm her nerves that she didn't think could take much more abuse. When she let the breath out, her body felt as if it would fail her entirely, she felt numb and weak, though the hopeless feeling was now more distant since she believed Ichigo and the others to be safely back in Karakura Town and out of Aizen's reach for the time being.

She let a forlorn sigh seep through her lips as she thought of the look on Uryu's face when she told them she would be staying and when she asked that they not make what she had done be in vain. There had been an anger in his eyes, he knew that she wasn't making the choice freely, but that Aizen was behind everything and it made the normally calm and collected Quincy show an emotion he usually kept neatly hidden. He was also concerned for her, he didn't want to leave her alone in a world that would only cause her pain, but he had known he had no choice and Sayomi knew that that fact had angered the black haired boy even more since he couldn't do anything to help her, because she had asked that he didn't.

"I never did get to tell you my story," she murmured to the shadows that the eerily constant pale glow that swept through her windows painted on her walls. "I'm sorry, Uryu, you were a great friend and I owed you at least that much."

A small spark in the back of her mind alerted her to the benevolent presence that was heading for her room, she hummed in curiosity and sat up on her bed just as her door was thrown open.

"Get up, woman, Aizen-sama wants you," Grimmjow grumbled, putting a bit too much emphasis on the sama that made Sayomi cock her head to the side and stare at him a moment. "Well," he barked when she made no attempt to move from the soft blue bedding she was sitting upon.

"You really are jealous, aren't you?"

It took the blue haired man several seconds to process the question, but once he did, he snorted, tossing his head to the side with a sneer on his face that was mostly hidden from her view by the remnant of his hollow mask.

"You're full of yourself," he mumbled haughtily. "I'm not jealous of Aizen."

Her head was still cocked to the side and she stayed where she was, watching Grimmjow as he refused to look at her again, she could tell he was pissed off with her and it didn't take much for her to see that there was more to it than just jealousy. "If it's not jealousy than what is it? You're angry with me, why?"

Smashing his teeth together, he continued his stubborn refusal to look at her and also didn't answer her question.

Sliding off of the bed, Sayomi walked to where Grimmjow waited and stood directly in front of him. He found it hard to ignore the petite woman as she stared up at him and wound up glaring into her eyes instead of at the wall. "Are you going to deny that you're attracted me?" She asked.

He grunted in reply, his nose flaring, but didn't answer.

"Attraction is one thing, Grimmjow, but you had to have known from the start that getting attached to me in any way wasn't possible. Aizen's made it clear that I was to be his and no one else's. I never had a choice-"

"That's bullshit," he snapped, startling her with his sudden outburst and causing her to gasp and take a step back when he stepped menacingly towards her. "You had a choice and you made it."

"The only choice I made was to save my friends instead of myself, is there something wrong with that? With being selfless?!"

"Selfless or selfish? You did what you did because you wanted to," he threw back as he continued advancing until her back was against the wall behind her and he could put his hands on either side of her body.

"I never wanted any of this," Sayomi half shouted, her hands shaking at her sides as she tried to glare at Grimmjow. "But I'm not ready to die just yet!"

"So you'd screw Aizen to save your own neck?"

"Yes, just like I saved the necks of my friends. My body is one thing, Grimmjow, I have no problem giving that to him if it will keep my friends alive a little longer, but he'll never have my heart and neither will you. From the beginning I never had any intention of doing anything other than befriending you to use you and you knew it. You wanted nothing from me outside of a romp in the sheets and you were never going to get it because like I said, I'm not that kind of girl."

He growled at her, leaning in closer to her until she could feel the heat of his breath splashing over her cheeks. "I got news for you, that wasn't all I wanted."

Sayomi's eyes widened as Grimmjow pulled away from her, all she could do was stare at his back as he turned away from her and began walking down the hall with his hands in his pockets.

Sighing, she stepped away from the wall, frowning at the Espada's back as she followed after him. She had never expected that Grimmjow of all people would end up falling for her in any way, he loved fighting too much, he loved chaos and power, but that wasn't the same as loving a woman. She wondered if he knew that or if part of the reason he had fallen for her was because of her power and her pride that wasn't much different than his own. They had a lot in common, but they were worlds apart.

Sayomi thought that if they had met in different times and under different circumstances that there would have been a chance that she would have fallen for the blue haired man. But things weren't different, she was now queen to a man she didn't love and who would never love her. The only two men she had ever loved had either lied to her and taken her best friend away or hated her and would never forgive her for what she had done. All because she had wanted to kill her brother. In the end, everything she had done had been for nothing, she had lost her lover, her friends and now she was stuck living with a man that thought of her as little more than a distraction or risk having her head cut off the second she set foot into either the living world or Soul Society.

It was while they were walking that a distant explosion filled the silence that had fallen over the pair, shattering it with enough violence to startle them both. The blast vibrated through the very walls and flooring for several moments before everything became still again. Having snapped out of her own thoughts, Sayomi turned towards the origin of the rumbling explosion, confused and uncertain.

'What is that,' she thought to herself, her head tilting to the side as she focused on several small but familiar sparks of energy that had just invaded her once ultra fine tuned senses that now only did her any good if someone was within about a hundred yards of her. Her thoughts were cut off when Grimmjow began to laugh behind her, it was an unnerving sort of laugh and when she looked over her shoulder at him, she frowned, there was something foreboding in the look on his face. He had the look of someone obsessed and there was only one person that would make him look so excited.

"Ichigo," she whispered, turning back towards the direction of the blast and the several dim, but familiar, strong reiatsu that she could feel.

As Grimmjow continued to laugh behind her, Sayomi found that she was growing angry and surprised the both of them when she turned and shoved him into the wall, grabbing a handful of his jacket and yanking him down to her level. The pompous look on his face as she glared heatedly at him only angered her further because he knew that she couldn't do a thing to him in her current 'restricted' state.

"What did you do," she demanded.

"What I was told to."

"By who?"

"You," he replied.

"Then why are they still here? You were supposed to open a pathway for them," she snapped.

"I did, it ain't my fault they didn't use it."

"Didn't or couldn't?"

"Who knows," he shrugged.

She hissed through her teeth at him, but released him and stalked away from him. "Go and retrieve Orihime, if everyone is still in Hueco Muendo then the deal we made is no longer valid."

"Where are you going," he shouted after her.

"To see Aizen," she stated calmly, her pace never faltering. Aizen, Gin and Tousen were the only people who she could still constantly sense even though her skill at sensing reiatsu was practically worthless otherwise. She wondered why, but figured Aizen had wanted it that way and that there was no point in asking.

"Ah, Sayomi, there you are," the brown haired man greeted with a mockery of a kind smile as she pushed the door his personal rooms open. He was just walking out of the hall that led to his bedroom, pulling on the white haori he wore over the uniform that resembled the standard shinigami robes, only the colors were inverted. "Judging by the look on your face I suppose you've noticed that your friends didn't leave."

"I noticed and I've told Grimmjow to retrieve Orihime," she replied, she wasn't surprised when Aizen actually hummed at her and looked fairly surprised by her reply, not that it showed for more than a split second.

"Really, after the trouble you went through to take her to them," he inquired, he was walking to the balcony and she followed him.

"I figure it's safer for her to be here since the others will be too busy fighting to look after her properly. They're just children, Aizen, are you really going to kill them?"

"I have no intention of doing anything," he answered smoothly. "As for the Arrancar who reside here, their home has been invaded and their king and queen threatened. And you can call me Sosuke, we're more than just acquaintances after all." He had stepped towards her, putting a hand under her chin and stroking her jaw with his thumb.

"We had an understanding-"

"We did, but they were supposed to leave Hueco Muendo and they didn't, they invaded the palace instead."

Sayomi twisted her jaw from his grasp. "So you'll let them be killed?"

"They're nuisances, little bugs that-"

"They're children who don't stand a chance against the Arrancar here and you know it. What is there to gain from their deaths?" She asked bitterly, she was angry and upset and not just with Aizen, but with Ichigo and Uryu, they hadn't left as she had requested. They had made everything she had done for them meaningless and Aizen, her new lover wasn't going to do a thing to keep them safe. Why would he, they were in his way regardless of how powerful they were or weren't.

"I'm very sorry that you're upset, Sayomi, but there is nothing I can do."

"I'm not a fool, _Sosuke_, it's not that there is nothing you can do, it's that you won't do it. If you'll excuse me, I'm tired, I'm returning to my room to get some more rest."

"There's no need," Aizen said as she swung around to walk out of the room.

She halted, looking over her shoulder to give him a fake smile, she asked, "And why is that?"

Aizen smiled back, an unsettling smile that made Sayomi's falter. "You're being relocated to the rooms right next door. They're large and more suitable for a beautiful woman such as yourself, in the meantime you can use my rooms as your own."

'Tightening my chain, hm? How lovely,' Sayomi thought morosely.

Reinforcing her smile, she nodded and turned back towards the tall, brown haired, brown eyed man. "I see, but I'd still like to rest and I'm afraid I don't have anything to sleep in."

"You'll find that there are several items in the closet that should suit your tastes."

'More like will suit your tastes, not mine,' she thought bitterly.

* * *

If there was anything to be thankful for at the moment, it was that Aizen was busy being a scheming and manipulative bastard in another part of Los Noches while Sayomi slept in his bed. She hadn't lied when she had said she was tired, she was exhausted and it hadn't taken long once her head had hit the soft white sheets that adorned the bed and fluffy, feather pillows that she was sleeping. It wasn't a very sound sleep, she was tossing and turning constantly, her brow covered in a thin sheen of glistening sweat. It was like this for several hours, until the door in the outer room opened and closed.

Though the noise wasn't excessively loud it had forced her to finally awake and with a gasp, she shot upright, her blue eyes wide and her pink lips parted as she breathed in forced and shaky gasps. Her eyes were glassy and distant as she stared emptily at the sheets that covered her body. She was searching her mind through the foggy mazes of her mind, trying desperately to understand the violent, blood soaked dreams she had had that were already fading from her memory.

She hardly moved a muscle as she struggled to recall the images of the friends that had invaded the hollow world, but they kept slipping from her grasp until they were all but forgotten and she was left with nothing but a strange feeling of loss. It was as Aizen walked into the room that something in her head seemed to click and she cried out angrily, tears filling her eyes as she leapt out of the bed and charged at Aizen without even thinking about it.

Even though she had only faintly been able to sense the reiatsu of the three boys, Orihime and the two Soul Reapers that had come to help them, out of the six reiatsu, three had vanished from her senses entirely. Chad's, Byakuya's sister, Rukia's, and then just seconds before she had woken, Ichigo's.

Charging at Aizen did her little good. The man had been stronger than her from the start, he caught her thin wrists in a crushing grasp without a word while he watched her with a cold, somewhat annoyed look. Trying to break free did nothing but bruise her slender wrists and further upset her.

"I understand you're upset, Sayomi, but you're only going to hurt yourself if you keep this up," he pointed out dully.

"They were children," she yelled. "You killed innocent children. You bastard, let go of me!"

She struggled fiercely against his hold on her, but to no avail. His grip only tightened until she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a pained cry.

"That's enough," he said, his voice carrying all the frightening authority of a blood thirsty and emotionless king.

Knowing that further attempts to harm him would be worthless and also aware that it would only get her hurt, she stopped her vain struggles. Her her head slumped forward, her shoulders drooping and she couldn't fight the embrace that she was swept up in by the man she despised more than anything. She wanted to scream and cry, to let out all of the emotions that were roiling through her body, but she didn't. Only silent tears slid from her eyes as her hair was stroked and her head laid against Aizen's heartless chest.

He didn't say anything, he didn't see the point in trying to convince her he was sorry or even remotely remorseful when he wasn't. Several more bugs had been crushed out of existence and it would make it that much easier for him to reach his goals with fewer nuisances in his way.

The touches and caresses were beginning to change from false comfort to a more hungry and desirous type of touch. Brushing her hair from her shoulders and tilting Sayomi's chin upwards Aizen leaned towards her, but she turned away, refusing to let his poisonous lips touch her own. She winced when the hand that rested on her lower back pulled her roughly closer to him and his fingers dug into her skin.

Before she knew what was happening, she was spun around and forced up against the wall by the door and Aizen's mouth was exploring her neck. Clenching her eyes shut to block out everything that was going on, she forced herself to relax as much as possible and not struggle against him. It had been so much easier to do when she thought she could accomplish something by sleeping with the overly ambitious and vicious man. Now it was difficult to keep the disgust from showing on her face as his hands made their way down her sides until they firmly grasped her hips and pulled her body against his own so that she could feel the heat of his arousal.

The urge to vomit kept growing until she pushed Aizen away and sprinted past him to the door. Her pale arms pumped at her sides and her bare feet slapped against the cool floor as she ran, her tears trailing down her cheeks and her snowy hair fluttering out behind her. She hadn't noticed nor cared that she was still wearing a thin white nightgown made of the finest silk the likes of which she hadn't seen since she had left Soul Society. The tiny straps barely held the knee length gown on her small body and the fabric hugged her curves revealingly as she raced down the halls.

Focusing on her brother's reiatsu, she ran towards it, noting that he was in the monitoring room that would allow him to see what was happening over all of Los Noches and even manipulate the halls if he wanted. By the time she ran into the room, she was gasping for breath and was forced to lean against the wall for support. She heard Gin hum as she entered and heard the quiet squeak of the chair as he turned towards her, but her eyes had closed and she didn't see the frown on his face as he took in her minimally clothed appearance and the bruises that dotted her neck and wrists.

"Here," he said, standing from the chair and shrugging out of his white haori and handing it to Sayomi.

"Thanks," she mumbled, opening her eyes to see what he was handing out to. Taking the haori and tossing it over her shoulders, she stared at the ground and refused to look at Gin.

"Come on," he sighed, gesturing for her to follow him and have seat as he retook his own. "Have some tea."

"I didn't come her for tea, Gin."

"Oh? Then why did ya come here, little sis?"

She frowned at the cup of tea that had been set in front of her as she held Gin's haori closed over her chest. "Show me."

Gin tilted his head, confused by the statement that Sayomi hadn't bothered to elaborate on.

"Show me how they died," she went on, her voice beginning to rise with anger that was getting hard to contain. "I want to know who killed them. Then I want you to show me where the others are." When she didn't get a reply and knew that Gin was going to try an back peddle his way out of doing as she requested, she looked over at him coldly, a new steely glint back in her eyes that actually made the man chuckle once as his grin returned to his face. Sayomi wasn't quite sure what to make of the reaction, but she didn't care as he began to play with the knobs and dials in front of him.

"Just what are you doin', Sayomi," he inquired as a few of the screens flickered to life. One showing Chad, another Rukia and the last, Ichigo who was carrying the small child with the cracked mask she remembered seeing with him in the desert.

"I'm the queen, aren't I," she replied, self assuredly and unfaltering as she let her eyes bounce from screen to screen. "It's about time I start acting like it, don't you think?"

* * *

Please review!


	35. Chapter 35 Arrivals and Returns

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 35**

**Arrivals and Returns**

'_S_..._mi...hime_...'

Sayomi started in her seat, her body going rigid and her eyes widening in response to the voice that had weakly called out to her. It had been far away and distant, but she knew she had heard it and she longed to hear it again.

"Fuyu..." She whispered, standing abruptly from the chair she still occupied beside her brother and ignoring the scenes that were still playing on the screens in front of her.

"Somethin' wrong?"

Blinking, Sayomi looked blankly at Gin for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'm just going to go and change."

Gin watched the petite woman go, clutching his haori over her as her bare feet carried her from the room. He frowned at her retreating figure until she disappeared, turning into the corridor that would lead her back to her rooms. He had felt the small spark of reiatsu that had reached out to her and had managed to briefly catch her attention. He had felt the elation that had momentarily lifted her spirits and hoped she wouldn't do anything rash because of it.

* * *

If Sayomi had remained with Gin in the monitoring room a little longer, she would have seen that Grimmjow had dragged a bound and gagged Orihime to Ichigo's corpse that was still warm despite the shock of death that was still etched on to his face. She would have seen Orihime begin to heal him and she wouldn't have been extremely confused by the sudden surges in spirit pressures from Grimmjow and Ulquiorra before Ulquiorra's mysteriously vanished and Ichigo's began to regain strength.

However, she had returned to her rooms, her new rooms, after returning to the rooms she had previously occupied to find them empty, in order to change out of the barely there nightgown that she had been wearing and brush her hair, leaving the straight snowy locks free to hang around her body. Now as she walked purposefully down the brightly lit halls of Los Noches, she wore a long sleeved, collared, white blouse beneath a white corset that was overlaid with beautiful black and silver lace and a pair or altered hakama that fell just below her knees, giving an illusion that she was wearing a flowing white skirt. Black, knee high boots adorned her feet and clicked on the marble as she walked, drawing the attention of the few Arrancar and Fraccion that she passed, all of whom decided to leave her alone upon seeing the look on her face.

'I know I heard your voice, Fuyu, but why? I haven't been able to sense you in so long, we've been separated by such a great distance, why did I hear you? Where are you?' Sayomi was searching as much as she could for the voice she had heard, trying to get it to speak to her again so that she could hear the familiar warmth and calm that Fuyu could always bring to her. It was doing her no good though, he hadn't answered any of her calls as she walked through the maze of halls, much to her disappointment.

'_Say_.._om...i...sa..ma_...'

Upon hearing the broken and distorted voice, her pace quickened and her heart sped up in her chest. 'I hear you, Fuyukaze. Please stay with me.' She thought, hoping that her most treasured friend could hear her reply and thanking him for reaching her and helping her to maintain and perfect her detached facade that she had decided to wear.

There was no fear, no shadow of doubt in her eyes, all traces of the girl that had lost all hope and resigned herself to a life she didn't desire were gone. She looked regal and every bit a queen as she elegantly strolled at a quick, but controlled pace through the corridors. Her features were schooled into a mask of uncaring detachment, though it was hard to keep the mask on as her annoyance began to grow at how little her senses were able to tell her about the locations of her friends and that she had to travel at a much slower pace than she would have liked.

She knew that it could take days to travel the length of Los Noches and several hours even while flash stepping and having to walk wasn't something she was happy about. The only thing that helped to calm her was that she knew that Ichigo and the others had entered Los Noches not far from where she currently was. The problem was that they had all scattered to find herself and Orihime, whom Grimmjow had obediently fetched and returned to her room, though she hadn't remained there long, without starting a fight with Ichigo, despite how tempting it was for the prideful blue haired Espada.

Stopping suddenly, Sayomi looked from her right to her left, she was certain that the hall she was walking down had branched off into three different paths. Her senses may have been dulled, but her eyesight had not and she knew that she had seen three paths ahead, but now there was only one and her only option was to continue to go straight even though she wanted badly to turn to the right where she could sense Uryu fighting with Byakuya's lieutenant against the pink haired, mad scientist of Hueco Muendo, Szayel Aporro Granz, the very man responsible for making her completely helpless.

Frowning, she continued to stalk down the hall ahead of her, barely noticing the way it was beginning to curve to the right. She did notice that she was no longer passing any other hallways, just a few doors occasionally until she came upon a staircase that spiraled upward. There was someone at the top of the stairs, an Espada, judging by the spiritual pressure and one she wasn't too familiar with though she thought that his name was Zommari.

With nowhere else to go and with an inkling that her brother was the one who had made it so, she began to climb the steep, winding stairs, silently wondering where it was that Gin was leading her and loathing the boring, monotonous and bland white halls that made up the entirety of her new home. As she climbed, she became aware of another reiatsu near Zommari's, a weak and almost nonexistent one. That of Rukia Kuchiki, Byakuya's adopted sister. The girl had fought Aaroniero, the ninth Espada, a strange man in Sayomi's opinion, one she had never liked because of the feeling that he gave her. It was as if there were too many conflicting reiatsu inside of him and it disturbed her. Their fight had ended with Rukia killing Aaroniero, but she too had fallen and was on the verge of death.

There was only one reason she could think of for there to be an Espada near the weak girl and that was to finish the job that the dead ninth Espada had failed to complete. Eliminate Rukia entirely. She frowned, she didn't want the girl to die, she was important to Byakuya, but there was no way she would get to her in time to intervene and save her.

"Byakuya," Sayomi whispered, halting abruptly as her eyes widened and her head shot up to look up the length of the stairs that remained.

The sudden appearance of the strong energy had surprised her and she didn't even realize she was running at first, not until she could see a small opening only a few more flights up. It wasn't the reiatsu of her former fiancé that had made her run however, it was the crystal clear voice that was calling out to her, the familiar churning of the forceful winds she had learned to control and the brief flicker of a smiling face she desperately wanted to see.

Fuyukaze was close and Sayomi had every intention of reclaiming him from the man that had taken him from her. She didn't expect it to be easy in her current state, but she knew that the Espada that was with him would do as she commanded, they all would and she had no problem resorting to underhanded means to get Fuyukaze back.

When she flew through the doorway, she wasn't surprised to see that Byakuya and Zommari had engaged in a fight, she had felt the fluctuations in their spirit energies as she had run. The two were moving so quickly that it took her eyes a moment to adjust so that she could actually follow their movements. Byakuya had taken a swipe at Zommari, slashing through his chest, only it wasn't the actual Zommari, it was a quasi-clone caused by the speed at which he was traveling at. Zommari moved behind, his sword poised high and ready to take the noble shinigami's head off. It was no surprise to her when Byakuya, who had expected this, used byakurai, white lightening, to fend off the attack, only once again he had failed to hit Zommari himself, giving the Espada an opening that he wasn't going to ignore.

"Enough," Sayomi shouted, effectively catching the attention of both men and halting the fight for the time being.

"Sayomi-sama," Zommari said, turning towards her and respectfully bowing his head to her which caused Byakuya to tilt a black brow upwards, but never take his gray eyes from Sayomi.

Having their attention, Sayomi took a moment to look around what looked to have been a once spacious and pristine tower, but now it's walls were crumbling and there was ice covering much of what remained of them and water puddling the floor that was tinted pink in places from the blood that had been shed. It was the sky that caught her attention though, holding it for several long moments as she ignored the eyes that were regarding her with curiosity and confusion.

Above her was a bright blue, cloud riddled sky the likes of which she didn't believe was possible in Hueco Muendo that was forever shrouded in night and it took her several moments to realize it was fake, the clouds didn't move and there was no warmth from the brightness of what she had assumed to be the sun. The palace was domed and this, she realized, must be the interior of that dome.

Taking her eyes from the artificial sky she hadn't known existed, she looked around the room at the two broken bodies that littered the floor. Rukia's body lay limp and lifeless not far from where Sayomi emerged, the girl was on her stomach and was clutching her broken zanpakuto in her hand as her blood stained the ground around her. Several yards away from the girl was the body of the dead ninth Espada that Sayomi didn't really bother to look over, he didn't concern her.

For a man that was well practiced at remaining emotionless, Byakuya wasn't able to hide the tension and unease that had overcome him when Sayomi looked up to lock eyes with him. He knew her too well and he knew her rage when he saw it, regardless of how hard she tried to hide it.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your fight, but this man has something that belongs to me and I wish to have it back," Sayomi explained coldly, her pale blue eyes holding Byakuya's gaze.

"I have no intention of returning it," Byakuya replied.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed and she fisted her hands at her sides. "You have no choice. It doesn't matter to me if you give it willingly or if I have to take it from your dead body, either way I will have it back."

"Is that so," Byakuya blandly asked. "And are you going to fight me without a sword, you would lose."

"No, I am not going to fight you, but he is," Sayomi answered, inclining her head towards Zommari. "Pardon the interruption, you may continue." Upon finishing, she swiveled on her heel and turned her back to the two men, who immediately re-engaged the fight she had interrupted.

The spiritual pressure being given off by the two of them was immense and being unable to raise her own to counter the effects of the weight pressing down upon her, she took a seat out of the way of the fight on a fallen pillar and grasped tightly to it to keep from outright falling over.

The clashing of swords, the swishing of fabric, and the whistling of small blades that danced in the air supplied the background music as she shut her eyes and waited for the fight to be over. She knew the outcome already, after all, Byakuya was not one to lose. His pride wouldn't allow it.

She couldn't help but to smirk when she heard him mentioning one of the techniques that they had both been taught by Yoruichi and how it angered him to have to use it. The technique had saved his life at the cost of his haori which she could hear flutter to the ground.

She reopened her eyes when she heard Zommari releasing his zanpakuto which gave his lower body a strange pumpkin like shape and fifty eyes appeared over the surface of his body, and according to him, each eye was able to control whatever it saw.

He had taken control of Byakuya's left leg first and Byakuya had simply sliced the tendons in his legs to keep from walking forward as Zommari had wanted. His leg wasn't under his control and so it was his enemy and he had no problem eliminating it. Her eyes closed again as Byakuya's blood splashed onto the ground, but his face remained impassive, slight irritation was beginning to show through now that his unconscious sister had been threatened since Zommari had turned his attention to her.

Her head turned to the side, her eyes snapping open at the arrival of a young boy from the fourth division judging by the green sack he carried. He was a few feet behind Byakuya who had moved to stand before his fallen sister, blinking dumbly at the scene he had stumbled upon before running to Rukia's aid after being told rather bluntly that he was an eyesore by Byakuya and to get out of the way unless he wanted to risk being destroyed by him.

It was while Byakuya was speaking to the boy that a black flower blossomed on the white glove that covered his left hand, catching the Kuchiki off guard, but not for long before he sliced through the tendons and muscles of his arm. His blood splattered over his face and stained the expensive scarf that he was never without. After slicing his own arm, he used a simple kido spell to thrust Rukia out of the way of the fight so that the boy could attend to her wounds.

Sayomi watched the young boy begin to lift Rukia from the ground and it was then that she caught sight of the flower that appeared on the girl's forehead. Her eyes widened and she stood up, her legs shaking from the pressure that wanted to push her right back down.

"Put her down!" She yelled, startling the boy who looked up at her in confusion.

Having heard Sayomi's shout, Byakuya turned to see what was going on just as Rukia pushed the boy away from her and used her broken zanpakuto to cut open his chest. Byakuya was moving before the boy even hit the ground.

"Do not move," Zommari bellowed, halting Byakuya as Rukia raised her own blade to her neck.

Sayomi paid the two little attention, she wasn't paying any attention to much of anything as she raised her right hand and pointed a finger at Rukia and summoning what she could of her reiatsu. "Carriage of thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six. Bakudo 61, rikujokoro." She fell to her knees, breathing heavily as six beams of light slammed into Rukia's midsection and completely immobilized the girl. She hadn't known what to expect, she wasn't sure if she could use kido or not and was surprised that she was able to even though she had had to use the incantation and the spell was still rather weak, but effective.

No longer hindered by his worry over his sister, Byakuya didn't hesitate as he held Senbonzakura above the ground, it's tip hovering inches from the blood stained marble before he released the handle and let it melt into the surface.

Sayomi barely had time to duck and cover her head before the millions of shimmering pink blades that were suddenly swimming through the air ripped Zommari apart with enough force to blow away the rest of the walls that were still standing. Her breath was knocked from her lungs and she gasped for air, her hand loosely clutching at the corset she wore as the blades and dusted sluggishly retreated. There was no doubt that Zommari had lost his life, but she couldn't be sure, her vision was swimming from the exertion of trying to remain conscious despite how weak her body was after using one kido spell and trying to remain unaffected by the insanely large spiritual pressures that had been assaulting her.

'_Stay awake, little hime. You are no longer alone and you are not as weak as you think_.'

The crystal clear voice reached her and with it a new strength as she looked around, searching for the source before her eyes landed on Byakuya's discarded haori that lay only a few yards away. Still breathing heavily, Sayomi pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the torn and blood stained captain's haori. Letting her eyes roam over the article for a moment, she ignored the raving of Zommari and leaned over to move a few of the folds until she found what she was looking for.

Pulling the silver chain linked bracelet with it's blue ribbon from the fabric, she let a small smile form on her lips as she tightly grasped it in her hand and closed her eyes. A sense of calm washed over Sayomi and for the first time in days, she no longer felt completely helpless. Behind her, Zommari was calling Byakuya pompous and smug and condemning the shinigami who took it upon themselves to judge and kill hollows, he was shouting madly into the sky, but his shouts were cut short a quick flash of silver caught his eye before a thin line of red appeared on his throat, he barely had time to realize his head was no longer attached to his neck before his body disintegrated and he was gone.

Once Zommari's body was gone, Sayomi was left staring directly at Byakuya, clutching Fuyukaze before her and a look as hard as stone on her face. She didn't understand it, but with Fuyukaze in her possession once again she was able to sense the reiatsu that she had believed to be sealed and could even call upon her shikai, but her ban-kai was out of her reach and she was still much weaker than normal.

"If you're going to attack me, Sayomi, then do so. In your weakened state, you won't accomplish much," Byakuya said, watching Sayomi as she glared at him.

"Maybe not, but it might help me to feel better. You lied to me," she hissed.

His expression remained blank as did his voice when he replied. "I was ordered to and I thought it for the best at the time"

"You thought it best to let me believe my brother was dead and that I was going to be killed when everyone knew that Aizen wouldn't allow that to happen. You used me!"

There was no response to her accusation, he didn't think it deserved one since it was fairly obvious that it was true.

"Why," she asked shakily when she received no response.

"Would you have believed me if I had told you the truth?"

"You arrogant bastard, always doing as you're told, aren't you," she murmured, sheathing Fuyukaze and letting go of her anger and bitterness, there was no point in holding on to it any longer, it was meaningless. What was done, was done and she couldn't change that and neither could he. Without a word, she made to brush past the noble and leave the same way she had come, but she was stopped from doing so when Byakuya grabbed her wrist in his right hand, causing her to wince at the pain it caused.

Not failing to notice the way she had recoiled, Byakuya pulled her closer to himself and pushed the fabric of her sleeve down to reveal the fresh bruises that Aizen had graced her with. He also noticed something on her neck and brushed her hair away, tightening his grip on her wrist when she tried to struggle away from him.

"What are you doing, Byakuya," she protested as the collar of her shirt was pushed aside to reveal the marks that dotted her pale neck.

"Who did this," he questioned, startling her with the seriousness with which he asked and the contempt behind his words.

She sighed and looked him straight in the eyes as she jerked her hand from his grasp. "Who do you think? I'm his queen, Byakuya, did you expect him to never touch me?"

"You allowed him-"

"Does it look I allowed this," she snapped, bitter tears filling her eyes that she blinked away rapidly. "It's not your business, tend to your sister and leave me be." She tried to walk away from him again, but again he grabbed a hold of her, firmly, and stared at her back since she refused to look at him.

"Thank you."

The two words made Sayomi jolt and look up at Byakuya's blood splattered face with wide eyes.

"For helping Rukia," he finished.

She opened her mouth to reply, but never had the chance. She was suddenly no longer beside Byakuya, but being held up in the air several yards behind him. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that she was being held by her brother, she hadn't even sensed him and judging by the annoyed look on Byakuya's face, he hadn't either.

"Sorry, little sis, but it's time to go. See ya later, captain Kuchiki," Gin chortled before disappearing with Sayomi in his arms.

* * *

Well there you go, chapter 35. What did you think? This story is almost over by the way, only a few more chapters and that's it for The Night Beauty.

Anyways, thanky to everyone who read, reviewed and alerted!

Please review, please, please, please!


	36. Chapter 36 Break Down

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

**Chapter 36**

**Break Down**

"Gin, what are you doing," Sayomi protested, pushing against his chest to try to get him to release her as he flashed them both away and into the sand covered terrain that was dotted with several other palaces and oddly shaped structures that protruded from the ground.

"You'll see," he answered shortly and unable to look her in the eye which unsettled Sayomi and caused her to stop struggling against him.

She remained quiet the entire time that she was held in Gin's arms, her eyes glazing over and a distracted smile pulling the corners of her lips into a soft smile as Fuyukaze spoke to her, more like scolded her really about being left in the care of the boring Kuchiki noble. He even complained about having to put up with Senbonzakura's arrogant and yet boring attitude, which made Sayomi laugh lightly because she knew that though the two had a rivalry between them, born from the rivalry between herself and Byakuya when they were younger, the two zanpakuto were able to work extraordinarily well together when their masters asked them to. And in her opinion, they were quite similar in attitude, though she had no plans on telling him that.

Even though he was angry at being left with Byakuya, she knew that he wasn't angry at her, she had had no control over what had happened and he knew that. When he was done with scolding her, he sighed an airy and tired sigh and Sayomi could see him settling himself into a comfortable sitting position in one of the many caves that littered the mountains he resided in.

'Aren't you going to join me, Sayomi-hime? It seems we have much to catch up on.'

Sayomi frowned at the displeased tone he had used and she knew he was referring to her new position as Aizen's queen and the bruises that she had earned for her earlier disobedience. She never had a chance to reply to Fuyukaze's question when her breath was suddenly knocked from her lungs and her eyes widened in response to two incredibly powerful reiatsu.

Gripping unconsciously to Gin's white kimono top, she turned her head so that her blue eyes could find the sources of the two reiatsu, both of which she was familiar with. Gin slowed to a stop on the top of a large cylindrical building that stood about three stories above the sand and had no windows that she could see and set her carefully onto her own feet.

Her eyes were glued to the two people fighting fiercely several hundred yards away, their bodies little more than black and white blurs as their swords clashed with an intent to kill that was so pure and untamed that Sayomi couldn't help but to shiver as metal met metal and a scream was produced by the violent meeting.

"Ichigo," she murmured worriedly, stepping away from Gin as if she could somehow get closer to the fight as her lips were drawn into a frown and her brows knit together.

The black blur she had been watching was flung out of the air, the stability of the reiatsu he was using to hold himself up being thrown off by the powerful and brutal slash that his opponent had landed on his abdomen. He crashed into the sand, causing a small explosion from the force of hisimpact.

The grim frown on her face never changed as she shifted her attention from the plume of sand that Ichigo had stirred up and to his opponent. "Grimmjow," she said lightly as she looked over the blue haired man's altered appearance, he had released his sword and was now more feline like and much more agile. She saw the pleasured snarl on his face as his eyes locked onto the crater that had been formed by Ichigo's landing.

The two men were oblivious to her presence, she was far enough away to not be noticed unless they searched the bland surroundings for her and she knew that wouldn't happen, they were both too caught up in their fight to notice anything else.

"D-don't die, Kurosaki!"

Sayomi's head snapped towards the shout to see that Orihime was standing atop a much taller cylindrical building, the little arrancar girl, Nel, that had been with Ichigo while in the vast desert of Hueco Muendo, laying on the ground beside her.

After that everything was a blur for Sayomi, Ichigo was soaring through the air, shouting that he would not be beaten by Grimmjow. Grimmjow prepared to defend himself, slicing his claws through air and creating five sharp blades that were now shooting towards Ichigo, all of them were shattered as the orange haired boy knocked them aside, the hollow mask he had been wearing crumbling away little by little.

There was a spray of red liquid that rained thickly into the air and for a moment Sayomi couldn't tell just what had happened from where she stood until Grimmjow began to fall towards the ground that was nearly a hundred yards below him. She smiled forlornly as Ichigo caught the Espada's wrist and slowly lowered him to the ground, his body appearing to shatter and his sword reforming in his hand as he returned to his unreleased state.

There was no doubt in Sayomi's mind that Grimmjow would not accept his defeat, he was still breathing and to him that was not defeat, it was pity and he would not accept pity from anyone. It was no surprise when Grimmjow began to slowly force himself up from the ground while Ichigo had gone to Orihime and Nel who were still watching the scene from the safety of the broken building they had been left atop.

By the time Gin set her back on her own feet in the sand, Grimmjow was on his feet and Ichigo was back on the ground having just set Orihime and Nel down, his back to the blue haired man. He began to turn as Grimmjow finally fully stood up, his legs shaking and his arms barely able to move at his sides.

"Can you take me to him," Sayomi turned to ask Gin, but she had barely made a full turn when she was hefted into the air once again and could feel the sting of the wind biting at her cheeks as she was flashed away from the building.

"Like I'd lose...There's no way in hell that I'd lose to a guy like you," Grimmjow shouted forcefully, taking a step towards Ichigo and raising his sword.

"That's enough, Grimmjow," Sayomi said softly, laying her hand on top of his sword arm and lightly pressing it downwards.

"S-Sayomi," Ichigo stuttered as he blinked at the white haired woman that now stood beside Grimmjow.

Ignoring the orange haired teen, Sayomi continued to stare at Grimmjow as the man turned towards her, a pissed off snarl on his face. "Don't," she stated when he looked away from her and prepared to raise his sword. "This fight is over, whether you want it to be or not, do you understand," she asked authoritatively, her chin tilting upwards and her eyes narrowing slightly as her hand tightened its hold on the Espada's arm.

"I don't take orders from you," Grimmjow hissed through his clenched teeth.

"Yes, you do or do I need to remind you of who exactly you're speaking to," she replied darkly.

"Sayomi, what are you doing here," Ichigo asked, confused by her sudden appearance.

Her blue eyes cornered over to Ichigo, but her facial expression remained cold and hard when their eyes met. "Isn't it obvious? Grimmjow is one of the best fighters amongst the Espada and I have no intention of letting you kill him."

"Then allow me."

Sayomi's eyes widened at the sound of the new voice and her head snapped up, a clear look of incomprehension filling her eyes as she stared up at the group of white clad, mask wearing men that now stood only yards away. From behind her, Gin hummed in thought before tugging her away from Grimmjow just as the man that stood at the head of the masked group stepped forward and unsheathed his sword. He was different from the rest, his skull like mask had curved horns and somehow he seemed to be the most dangerous.

Trying to shake Gin's arm off of her was no use and she was forced to watch as a cut bloomed on Grimmjow's chest and a sea of red liquid gushed from the wound. Grimmjow fell to the ground, his eyes wide and his breath coming out in shallow gasps.

"Grimmjow! What the hell do you think you're doing," she snapped at the leader, finally jerking her arm free and tossing herself down on the ground beside Grimmjow.

"You should return to the safety of your rooms, Sayomi-sama, otherwise your safety cannot be guaranteed," the man replied, his voice entirely devoid of any emotion.

"Hey, who the hell are you and what gives you the right to attack a guy who can barely move," Ichigo shouted angrily at the newcomer whose head barely turned in his direction as if Ichigo were nothing more than a little annoying fly that didn't deserve his time nor attention.

There was nothing Sayomi could have done, she was grabbed securely by her brother and hefted into his arms just as the mask wearing man plunged his sword through Ichigo's chest, right where his heart should be. A look of pure incomprehension found its way to the substitute soul reaper's face and his body shuddered, bright red blood poured over his lips and dripped down his chin.

"It's time to go, little sis," Gin told her securing his hold on her and lightly tapping against the ground to shoot them up into the air.

Words couldn't even begin to form in her mind let alone find their way out of her mouth as her pale blue eyes stayed locked on Ichigo as the sword that had pierced through his heart was withdrawn and he fell to his knees before falling face first into the sand. She heard Orihime's cries and saw one of the masked men intercept her before she could run to Ichigo, but then she was soaring through the air and everything faded away as if it had never been there in the first place. She never even realized that she was unable to hear Fuyukaze's voice any longer, she was so caught up in the confusion of how one man, that wasn't even a member of the Espada, could so easily kill Ichigo.

Nothing registered in her mind as she was carried away from the gruesome scene, the only thing to give her some solace was that she knew Orihime wouldn't be killed, Aizen still needed the young woman and no one would harm her. She would just be taken back to her room and left there.

* * *

It was like being lost in a foggy maze, you couldn't see where you were going as you tried to find your way out of the many twists and turns with only your hands to help guide you. All of your senses felt useless, there was nothing to see through the thick haze and your hearing was worthless with every sound being dulled by the same haze that stole your sight. There was nothing to smell, nothing to feel but the soft caresses of the fog on your cheeks and nothing to taste but the bitterness of your own fear.

The white haired girl sat in the high backed chair she had been placed upon, looking every bit like a fragile porcelain doll. Her face appeared to be set forever in the blank look that now adorned her features and she hadn't moved a single muscle in minutes as her eyes glossed over with shock and stared at the monitors that were flickering with life in front of her. Each one showing the fierce battles that her friends had partaken in and each one stopping to show a different angle of them as they took their final breaths before falling to the ground.

First it had been Chad that she saw fall, he had defeated the Privaron Espada he had been fighting, just barely, but he had. He had never left the scene, stopping for a moment to say a prayer over the body of the fallen Arrancar only to have a sword thrust through his upper chest and twisted violently. Only one angle showed the person responsible, his name was Rudobone from the little Sayomi was able to actually understand in her current state, and he was the leader of the Exequias and the same man to have killed Ichigo not long before. Not only did he kill Chad, he killed the Arrancar he had been fighting, who had still been breathing.

After Chad, she saw Uryu and Renji as well as the two strange hollow that had been accompanying Nel through the desert. They were fighting with Szayel in a large room that had made their spiritual pressure useless and though they had fought hard and well, in the end it hadn't mattered. Rudobone and the Exequias showed up when Szayel appeared to have lost interest in them and had cut them all down much too easily. They had never seen the blows coming and even if they had, they would have been unable to stop them since they couldn't use their powers in the room they had been caged in.

She had never felt quite the way she did now, it was a strange, inexplicable feeling that she would never be able to put into words. All she was capable of was staring blankly at the screens that were now all frozen on some different angle of each of her dead friends and the people who had tried to help them. Even Rukia was displayed on one of the screens, but she had yet to notice. Her eyes were busy taking in every final detail of the limp bodies of her young friends that would never again be able to move from where they lay.

The tears in her eyes went unnoticed by her as her eyes came to a rest on Uryu's still body, his glasses were broken and laying beside him giving her a clear view of his face and the pain he had felt in his final moments. He was lying in a pool of his own blood and his eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

When she blinked her eyes to clear the mist that had clouded them, she finally noticed that Rukia was displayed on the monitors as well and she looked at the motionless girl closely for a moment, her brows knitting together in thought. "Why are showing me this, Gin? Why did you bring me here just to show me the deaths of my friends and those who came to help them? Only these aren't the only ones here, are they? Byakuya didn't come alone, there were others who arrived here with him, where are they and why aren't they shown?"

Gin had been leaning against the back wall, watching Sayomi's reactions or lack there of, he now pushed himself away from it and with a sigh, but it wasn't him that answered her.

"Those people were not your friends, Sayomi, they were your enemies or do you not remember your own words to them?"

Her eyes widened and she spun around to see that Aizen was standing regally in the doorway, his face hidden by the shadows.

"You said you would kill them yourself if they didn't leave as you had requested, didn't you? Yet instead of killing them you wanted to help them or at least get revenge for them and in doing so killed one member of the Espada and ordered another to stop fighting," he held up a hand to silence Sayomi who had opened her mouth to protest but found that the pressure that was suddenly bearing down upon her made it hard to even take a breath. "We had a deal, Sayomi, and though it didn't work out as planned and the ryoka didn't leave as you had wanted, I still expect you to uphold your end of it."

For a moment, she didn't reply, but merely glared at the man across the room. "Go to hell," she muttered, drawing Fuyukaze from his sheath that had been sitting in her lap and leaping at Aizen.

"I was really hoping you would see reason," Aizen sighed, wrapping his fingers around the blade of her zanpakuto and easily pulling it from her grasp without inflicting a single cut to himself. He tossed the blade aside and let his spiritual pressure rise enough to bring Sayomi to her knees before him, gasping and clutching at her chest. "I understand you're upset, Sayomi, but aren't you blaming the wrong person?"

"How am I blaming the wrong person, you are the one responsible for everything," she snarled through her teeth.

"I didn't force your friends to stay here and I certainly didn't force them to continue fighting. If you want to know who did, all you have to do is ask our guest of honor, he's just recently arrived and is currently..tied up just down the hall. He can tell you who is responsible for everything that has happened to your friends and it certainly wasn't me."

"I don't believe you, this is all a lie, an illusion and I won't believe it."

"You don't have any other options, Sayomi," Aizen replied. "I'm going to go keep our special guest company, take all the time you need to think things over."

Staying on the floor, she slowly let her breathing return to normal and stared at the distorted reflection of herself in the marble flooring. She was confused and didn't know what to believe or what to do, but if her friends were truly dead than she didn't see what difference it made, she wouldn't be able to avenge them and she had no one left to try and protect.

"Are they really dead," she asked, glancing over at Gin who hadn't moved from his spot.

He frowned, but didn't answer her question. "Come on, kiddo, we should go."

"Why won't you answer the question, Gin," Sayomi questioned as he walked towards her.

"You already know the answer, Sayomi. Now come along, it's best not ta keep him waiting when he's in a foul mood."

Staring after him for a moment as he walked past her, Sayomi frowned. His response that she already knew the answer was hard to fully understand because if she went with what her eyes saw and what her senses were telling her, then they were all in fact dead. However, if she ignored her own senses and focused only on her heart, she didn't believe them to be dead. She was more inclined to believe what she had seen since she knew that the only reason her heart wished them to be alive was so that she would have something left to live for and a reason to ignore the numbness that was creeping over her.

Pushing herself off of the cold marble flooring, she followed a few paces behind Gin as he led them deeper into Los Noches. When he stopped in front of a single door and pushed it open to reveal a dark staircase, Sayomi felt an intense feeling of foreboding wash over her that she couldn't quite shake off as she made her way down the steps, slowly.

When she reached the bottom, she could only see Aizen's back and nothing else. Until he turned to greet her, revealing the bruised and beaten man that was shackled to the wall.

"Byakuya," she whispered, stunned by the sight of the normally proud man looking so utterly broken and defeated. She tried to run to him, but Gin had a hold of her wrist and though she winced from the pressure he put on the bruises she already had, she didn't try to struggle from his hold.

"And here she is, we can both agree she's quite stunning, isn't she," Aizen asked mockingly with a glance at Byakuya.

Byakuya remained silent as he coldly regarded Aizen with his steely gray eyes and though he wasn't wearing his captain's haori and his prided scarf was spotted with blood and ripped in several places, he held himself with as much pride as his broken body would allow him to.

"Since we're all gathered I suppose we should get to the point," Aizen began, turning back to Byakuya. "Why not tell Sayomi here who is truly responsible for the deaths of her friends that she gave her body to me in order to save."

Confused, Sayomi blinked at Aizen's back before switching her gaze to Byakuya who could only glance at her for a moment before guiltily looking away. Not being used to seeing guilt in the eyes of the black haired man, Sayomi felt a strange pressure on her chest and was accosted by a sense of betrayal that she couldn't explain. "What does he mean, Byakuya? Who is responsible if not him," she shouted emotionally, thrusting a hand towards Aizen that shook with uncertainty.

"When the garganta was opened that would have allowed the Kurosaki brat and his friends to leave, it connected with the one that had been opened earlier in Kisuke Urahara's basement. The reiatsu that could be felt on the other side of the garganta belonged to Kurosaki's group, but the captain general ordered that Urahara close it and not allow them back through."

"W-why would he-"

"Because Ichigo Kurosaki is unstable and they are in the process of switching the real Karakura town with the fake that was created in Soul Society," Aizen cut in. "Meaning that they're preparing for battle and they don't want him involved because they feel he might cause more damage than good in the fight."

"But then why send the captains here, if not to help him," she asked.

"It wasn't him we were sent here for," Byakuya spoke up, his voice growing raspy. "It was Orihime Inoue and...you."

"To help Orihime and I, but Soul Society saw her as a traitor and sentenced me to die as one, why help us?"

"I never said we were here to help either of you, Sayomi," Byakuya replied as if that should have been all the explanation she needed to make sense of everything.

It took her a moment to process his words, but when she did, she nearly collapsed onto the steps. "You were sent here to kill us."

Byakuya didn't answer her, he simply looked away from her.

"I can see why Soul Society would want to get rid of Orihime, her powers defy the laws of God himself and they fear what she could do if she were to remain in Aizen's hold, but why me," she inquired calmly though she wanted to do nothing but scream at the heavens in frustration.

"Because you're important to me and they were hoping to upset me enough to get me to lose control of my emotions and in turn lose focus," Aizen answered.

"Then why didn't you kill me when you had the chance, Byakuya," she quietly seethed.

"I was interrupted," he replied, darkly glancing behind her at Gin.

Blinking back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes and swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, she looked at Aizen who was watching her with keen interest. "How do I know that this is real and not just another of your illusions? Why should I believe what he says?"

"Is there something you'd like to ask him that only he would know the answer to, go right ahead, I have no reason to lie to you," Aizen replied.

Squaring her jaw, Sayomi shook Gin's arm off and brushed past Aizen so that she was standing directly in front of Byakuya. She studied the man's face for a moment before grabbing his pink scarf and pulling it from his neck with one hand while the other pushed some of his hair back. It was hard to focus because everything about him was so_ him,_ his stance, his eyes, his scent and it was all hard to ignore as she searched for the tiny scar she had given him during the tests to see if he was really worthy to be the captain of the Sixth squad. No one but her had ever noticed it and it had always been hidden beneath his scarf and hair that were always worn in the same fashion.

Keeping her hand steady, she had pushed his kimono out of the way and her eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat as she dropped the scarf she had held and let it flutter to the ground. On the right side of his neck, just where his shoulder began to curve outwards was a small, pink scar that looked like nothing more than a tiny scratch.

Removing her hand from his body as if she had been burned by the light touch, she took a step backwards and brought her hand into her chest.

"Are you satisfied, Sayomi," Aizen asked.

Numbly, she looked over at the brown haired man and shook her head as she tried to speak, but was unable to.

"In that case, we have no further use for him. Gin."

"No," Sayomi cried as Gin moved to unsheathe his zanpakuto, positioning herself in front of Byakuya with her arms out to her sides. "Please, Gin," she pleaded.

"He tried to kill you, Sayomi. He's lied to you and has betrayed you, and he's in the way. All obstacles must be dealt with," Aizen informed her. "You didn't think he still cared about you, that he still loved you and that was why he was being so caring before? You trusted him and he used that knowledge to-"

She shook her head. "Shut up! Just shut up, I won't let you kill him. I...I love him and I won't let you kill him." Her eyes were now brimming with tears that spilled over when her eyes widened in response to the hand that had suddenly wrapped itself around her throat. She choked on the breath she had been taking and tried to reach for Fuyukaze only to find that Byakuya's hand had beaten her to the hilt and he was withdrawing the sword from its sheathe.

The sword never made it more than half of the way from its sheathe before it clunked back into it and Sayomi dropped to the ground, a hand at her throat as she coughed and tried to refill her lungs with the air they had been deprived of. She heard the dull thunk of something soft colliding with something hard and she began to turn her head to see what had caused it, but was stopped by Gin's hand on her head. Looking up at him she felt the sudden need to wretch as she saw the fresh blood that covered the blade of his zanpakuto that he had yet to resheathe.

"I wouldn't look back there, little sis," he told her grimly. "I'm sorry."

In that moment it was almost like everything shattered, Sayomi leaned over to her side and began hacking and wretching violently as the reality of what had just happened set in. All she could see were flashes, one after the other of Uryu, Ichigo, Chad, even Rukia and Renji, all lying dead in puddles of their own blood. She felt as if everything she had believed had all just been rendered meaningless, she was empty, numb and the only thing she really knew was that it wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry, Sayomi, but you had a right to know the truth and now that you do, what would you like to do," Aizen asked, his eyes locked on the quaking shoulders of the petite woman that was struggling to breath as her body revolted against the stress and strain her nerves had been forced to undergo.

It took her a few moments and a few shaky breaths before she was able to look up at Aizen. "I... I want them to pay for the innocent lives they've taken."

She couldn't see the smirk that formed on Aizen's lips as the man leaned down to offer her his hand, causing the shadows to temporarily block his features from view. Nor did she see the frown that pulled down Gin's lips, which if she had noticed, she might have realized that he had been frowning much more often than he had been grinning.

"That can be arranged, but first I need to know if you trust me," Aizen questioned.

Her teeth ground together, her fists clenched and her muscles twitched. She had never wanted to trust the man that was offering her his hand, he wasn't to be trusted and she knew that, but for some reason she couldn't stop herself from reaching for his hand, it was almost like she wasn't in control of her own body. "Yes, I trust you."

* * *

I'm not really going to say anything aside from I hope there weren't many typos, I only did a quick read through of the finished product.

Thank you to-- Xx-Away-From-The-Crowd-xX, gagboy, Traitor-Hero, cheeky half-demon, shinoluver, Ominous Blue, Elanya, XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, BleedmetoINSANITY, momoirotan, anihana, creativelyspacey, KizunaCho, AsianPsycho, EvilBoyzR2Cute, xoxCutie-Chanxox and last but not least Varixa Demon Wolf, for all reviewing the last chapter. That was 17 reviews for one chapter, lets try to keep that up, k?

Please review!


	37. Chapter 37 Beginning of the End

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach, still, after all this time, unbelievable, isn't it? Then again, I'm not as talented as our beloved Tite Kubo who does own Bleach, so I suppose it's ok.

**Chapter 37**

**Beginning of the End**

She sat stiffly upon the sofa in Aizen's personal sitting room, her shoulders squared and her hands primly folded in her lap. Her blue eyes were unfocused and she stared blankly at the white table in front of her, trying desperately to feel something, anything, outside of the violent rage she hadn't known she was capable of possessing. It was no use though, the harder she tried to calm herself down and convince herself that it was all a trick, the more she believed in the reality of it all and the more she believed that she could trust no one but Aizen.

Jolting slightly when a gleaming silver tray was set on the table, the tea pot and cups on it rattling softly, Sayomi blinked and looked up to see a young arrancar girl no more than fifteen years old in appearance with wild, cropped black hair and a mouse like mask covering most of her face, pouring steaming hot green tea into two cups. Once the liquid was poured, she bowed and retreated from the room without a sound.

Still somewhat lost to her thoughts and the numbness that had accompanied the rage that was building up intensely the longer she was left to herself to think over the events of the last several hours, Sayomi just stared at the tea cups for several moments until Aizen reentered the room, alone and came up behind the couch she sat upon. She smiled up at him despite the conflicting emotions she felt fighting for dominance inside of her, the most noticeable of which was a loathing so intense she almost succumbed to it, until he brushed a hand against her cheek and she forget entirely about the hate she had harbored for the man that was walking around the couch to take a seat beside her, picking up the two tea cups and handing one to her.

"Are you alright, Sayomi, it's been a very upsetting few hours for you," he asked, sounding concerned as she took the tea cup from his hand and absently sipped at the beverage it contained.

Lowering the glass from her lips, she once again found herself smiling at Aizen. It was a smile meant to be reassuring and warm, a smile she had never before thought she would give to the manipulative man beside her. Yet, the fact that she was giving him that smile didn't seem out of place to her, it seemed right as if the hate she had felt for this man for nearly a century had never existed. And the longer she smiled up at him, the further away that hate grew until she couldn't even remember ever hating him at all.

"Sayomi, are you alright?"

"Hm?" She looked at him in confusion until she realized she hadn't answered his question and had no idea why. "I'm still a little...lost, I think, but I'll be fine."

"That's good to know," Aizen replied, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips that he covered by taking a drink from his own tea.

Despite the smiles she was giving to Aizen, she couldn't ignore the turbulence of the anger that was thrashing around inside of her. "When will the attack take place?"

This time, he didn't bother to hide the smirk that tweaked his lips upwards as he looked at Sayomi whose smile had disappeared and had been replaced by a determined coldness. "Not much longer, Gin and Tousen are finalizing a few things and then we will be attacking the fake Karakura Town that is replacing the real thing as we speak."

"Good, I've never been very patient," Sayomi remarked with a devious chuckle. "I wanted ask something of you though."

"Anything."

"I want to be sure that I will be able to fight. I have this feeling that you don't intend to do much yourself, not that I blame you, after all the Espada should be enough to deal with those who will gather. It's also likely that you will be kept from interfering by the head captain and I don't want to get caught up in that."

"I see. If that's the case than perhaps you would like to remain here with Wonderweiss for a little while, at least until I call for him, at which point the battle will be reaching its climax. Then you'll be able to see the looks on all of their faces when they realize that they have lost and there is no hope left for them."

"Sounds...amusing," Sayomi replied with a pleased grin.

Pleased with the changes Sayomi was displaying, Aizen set his cup down and then wasted no time in swooping into place a hungry kiss upon her lips that parted in surprise and unwittingly allowed him even more access to her mouth. At first, she wanted to pull away in revulsion, but the feeling evaporated quickly and she found herself greedily kissing him back as she was pushed back on to the couch.

* * *

The beautiful, playful and happy girl who had only ever wanted to make her adoptive parents proud while living her life as nobly as she could and protecting those who couldn't protect themselves from the unseen horrors that stalked them, was no longer worried about what her parents might think of her. They weren't even on her mind as she stripped out of the clothes she had been wearing and walked into her rooms, carelessly dropping the items on the floor as she walked to the grand bathroom to clean the sweat from her recent activities from her body.

Where there had once been softness and tenderness, there was nothing but silent, brooding rage that made her features appear cold and hard as stone. Her eyes no longer showed pride or even the tiniest hint of her usual arrogance, they were just empty pools of blue that seemed to see through everything, when they actually took in every single detail of her surroundings. Her posture was more rigid than usual, her chin never left its place high in the air and her shoulders remained stiff and perfectly aligned as she stalked with all the grace of a lioness on the hunt through her room.

Blue eyes that had once been full of hope, life and emotion were now empty pools of nothingness that registered everything they saw despite the way they seemed to see through everything. It was hard to see the girl that had once looked up at the night sky over Karakura Town as it exploded into a vibrant display of colors with a look of sheer happiness and hope for the future in the same girl that now stood beneath the steaming hot water of her shower. This girl looked as if she had given up on everything except for the rage that had built up inside of her and had blinded her to all else.

She had felt hatred before, she had felt rage before, but this time it was different. This time the rational side of her that knew she should remain calm and collected couldn't be heard over the snarling beast that wanted to avenge her dead friends and show the Soul Society that they couldn't control everything. If she had thought about it, she would have realized that she couldn't even hear Fuyukaze and the worry that he felt for her. It was as if he had been completely cut of from her, but she had yet to notice.

Sayomi Himura no longer existed. In her place was a woman identical to her, but this woman was not in control of herself, she was merely a shell that was being used for goals that weren't her own. And she had no idea because in her head, her goals and Aizen's were exactly the same and always had been.

* * *

Wanting to wear something that she would be free to move around in since she knew that she was likely to be doing some intense fighting very soon, Sayomi dressed plainly in a pair of unaltered white hakama and a simple white kimono top that fitted snugly and was lower cut than most kimono. The obi that was tied around her waist was a deep blue and matched the ribbon that she had used to tie her hair up into a ponytail. Her bangs had been left free and hid her eyes from view as she slipped her feet back into her black boots before grabbing a white haori that was also lined in the same blue as her obi and ribbon. It was strange to be in clothing similar to what she had worn during her time as a captain of the Gotei 13, but oddly comforting at the same time. It made a part of her think back to her time spent in the Gotei and begin to think that destroying the Soul Society might not be worth it in the end.

"Are you sure about this, Sayomi?"

Jolting, she blinked at Gin who had made himself comfortable on her couch and when she opened her mouth to reply, she found herself being unable to recall ever feeling anything but hate towards the Soul Society and those who ran it. "Yes, I'm sure, Gin," she answered haughtily, shooting the man an annoyed look.

"But you loved the Soul Society," he pointed out.

She snorted and tossed her head stubbornly to the side. "Loved, Gin. I no longer have the same sentiments."

"Ya sure, 'cause there won't be any going back."

Something in her subconscious was screaming at her to step down and forget her anger, but it was pushed down by unseen hands before she really had time to register her own thoughts. Shaking off the strange sensation she was left with, she glanced at Gin as she walked past him. "I'm aware of that and I'm also aware that I won't want to go back. The ones responsible for the deaths of innocent children and the ones who would rather kill a teenage human girl who is different, than help her, are not people I will regret killing."

"If you say so," he sighed, standing from his perch to follow after her.

There was something in her that wanted to turn around and snap at him, to yell that she was certain and that he had no right to be asking her the questions he was when he was the right hand man to the person who would make the Soul Society crumble, but she quelled that desire and continued to walk through the halls.

When she reached the large double doors that would lead into the grand hall that was Aizen's favorite and the one she had destroyed in a fit of rage after Gin's fake death, she paused, her outstretched hand hovering inches from the door. There had been a disturbance in the spiritual energy, or at least she had thought so and it reminded her of the feeling she would get whenever the binding spell, tenteikuura, was used to communicate with many people at once.

"Sayomi," Gin questioned. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied curtly, pushing the doors open and stepping into the grand hall to see that it had been completely and flawlessly repaired since the last time she had been in it.

Aizen stood atop the high platform at the opposite end of the room, Tousen stood a few yards away to the right, he was lowering his right arm to his side slowly and Sayomi could have sworn she saw the fading black markings that would indicate that he had used tenteikuura. Ignoring her curiosity about why Tousen would have been using tenteikuura, she let her gaze roam over to a distressed Orihime that stood behind the two men, looking as if she were about to collapse.

"There you are Sayomi, Gin, why don't the both of you join us. We were just about to open the garganta," Aizen informed them, turning to look over his shoulder at them.

"Up you go," Gin sang, grabbing her as if she were a sack of potatoes and tapping his ankles against the perfect marble and disappearing.

When he reappeared on the top of the platform and nonchalantly dropped Sayomi to her feet, he was forced to grab her fist that was shooting towards his face and grin at her.

"Now that's not very nice," he said.

"Neither is picking me up like a bag of groceries," she snapped angrily.

"Sorry, lil sis," he replied with a shrug and smirk and quick ruffle to her hair.

She sighed in aggravation and shook her head, turning her back to him to see that Aizen was watching them with an amused look in his eyes and a curiously quirked brow.

"Are you ready, Sayomi, to destroy Karakura Town and Soul Society alongside me," Aizen asked.

Orihime gasped behind her, but she ignored the girl and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready," she replied, stepping forward so that she stood beside him self-assuredly.

"S-Sayomi, you...but...why..."

Glancing over her shoulder at Orihime, Sayomi's cold, unfeeling eyes locked on the young girl's tear filled orbs and without a hint of emotion, she replied, "Why shouldn't I? They've brought this upon themselves with their constant need to destroy things that don't adhere to their standards and to make the lives of those who follow them miserable and meaningless unless you do exactly as you're told."

The young red head's eyes filled with tears as she stared uncomprehendingly at Sayomi, pleading silently for the safety of her home.

"It's time, Sayomi," Aizen said.

Turning away from Orihime, Sayomi walked to Aizen's side. Gin and Tousen stood just a few feet behind them, prepared to walk through the garganta that was opening before them. As the black hole opened to reveal a large portion of blue sky and part of Karakura Town several miles below it, Sayomi couldn't help but to let a small smile form on her lips as several of the Gotei 13 captains and their lieutenants appeared looking grim and reserved as she took the arm that Aizen was holding out to her.

Head captain Yamamoto stood at the head of the group that stood guard above the town, his lieutenant, Choujiro Sasakibe behind him. Spread out around them were the captain and lieutenant of the tenth squad, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto. Second division's captain Soi Fon, and lieutenant whose name Sayomi didn't know. Seventh division's captain Komomura and his lieutenant Tetsuzaimon as well as captains Ukitake and Kyoraku.

When Aizen walked forward and stepped into the opening, Sayomi followed without hesitation into the black void they had to cross before stepping into the sky above Karakura.

Aizen looked over his shoulder as they walked, but didn't pause. "I leave Los Noches to you until we return, Ulquiorra."

Confused, Sayomi glanced behind them to see that a hand was forcing its way through a strange gap in the air. It looked as if someone was stepping through a shattered piece of glass as Ulquiorra appeared from nowhere and nodded in their direction.

"Of course, Aizen-sama."

"Sayomi," a surprised male voice stated, drawing Sayomi's attention back to the ten people in front of her.

"Captain Ukitake, you look well today," she replied, a mocking lilt to her casual tone.

"Have you really joined Aizen, Sayomi?"

"I would think the answer to that is fairly obvious."

"I don't believe you," Ukitake countered with a small smile. "And I don't think you do either."

She jolted and blinked at the white haired captain, her thoughts spinning uncontrollably for a moment until the head captain decided to speak up.

"Enough idle chatter, it seems we made it here just in time."

Beside her, Aizen chuckled darkly. "In time? What makes you think you can say something like that? I'm well aware that this isn't the real Karakura Town, but it's no threat to me. I'll just have to destroy you all here and make the King's Key in Soul Society, either way, I will have what I want. I always get what I want."

With Gin being several feet behind her, she didn't see the frown that momentarily crossed his face nor did she notice the way that Aizen had ever so slightly inclined his head towards her. Several others did notice though, Ukitake and Kyoraku for instance and the two exchanged a brief look that accomplished more in a second than a conversation ever could. Even the head captain's squinty eyes narrowed further almost imperceptibly.

"Stark, Barragan, and Halibel, come here," Aizen commanded after the brief pause. It was obvious in his stance, his eyes and the untouchable arrogance he was exuding that he had no intention of losing, in fact it would be safe to assume that the thought had never even crossed his mind.

The three Espada members that had been summoned, appeared through three different rips in the sky. Stark with his single Fraccion, Lilinette, looking as if he'd just awoken from a nap as he slouched of the garganta, Lilinette following behind him with a sour look on her childish face. The rotund Barragan stepped out of another, four of his own Fraccion accompanying him. The only female Espada, Halibel, tall and intimidating as she and her three female Fraccion stepped into the sky.

"Their soul power is monstrous," the second division's lieutenant mumbled nervously, sweating and fidgeting as he tried to not meet the eyes of any of their enemies.

"Who do you think is the strongest amongst those Espada, Ukitake," Kyoraku inquired of his long time friend and fellow captain.

"I suppose we would have to ask Aizen that, though I don't think he'd answer us," Ukitake answered, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin.

"And how do we know that Aizen won't get involved in the fighting once it's started," the short, but serious looking captain Hitsugaya asked grumpily.

"Everyone, stand back," Yamamoto declared roughly. Removing one hand from the top of his knobby staff, the wood melted away to reveal an old, but beautiful katana. "Destroy all creation, Ryujin Jakka."

There was a fiery explosion of reiatsu as the head captain's zanpakuto materialized in his hand. It cleared to show the old man pulling a gleaming blade from it's sheath, bright flames licking at the blade as it went. Sayomi's eyes widened and she unconsciously gripped tighter to Aizen's arm in response to the heaviness of the reiatsu that assaulted everyone there.

"Sayomi, my dear, now would be a good time for you to go back inside and keep Wonderweiss company as we discussed earlier," Aizen told her, placing a hand atop hers and smiling knowingly down at her.

She nodded and turned to flash step away just as a wall of crackling, red hot flames shot towards the three men she was leaving. She winced as she reached the opening of the garganta that had opened for her behind them, feeling the intense heat that was swallowing her brother, Aizen and Tousen nipping at her heels as she retreated.

Stepping through the garganta, she frowned, while in Los Noches she was still unable to sense or use her own reiatsu and it angered her to no end. Her anger was soon forgotten when she was tackled by the young blond boy she had come to watch over until they were needed and she fell to the cold marble floor with a squeak of surprise as the air was knocked from her lungs.

Hearing the strange sounds that Wonderweiss made in place of speaking, Sayomi sighed and looked up at the happy boy, ruffling his hair with a sigh as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. It wasn't until she sat up that she realized the shadows in the room were much too long and the lighting was almost nonexistent. Her cool blue eyes widened and she gasped in shock as she set eyes upon the thing that was blocking out the light and making the shadows appear so hungry.

It was a gigantic, gluttonous creature that towered so high above her she felt disoriented by the fact that it was impossible to fit the entire thing into her field of vision. One large eye was peering at her and it made the hair on her arms and neck stand on end and a fear fill her gut that she couldn't understand. Beads of sweat appeared on her brow and she swallowed as she tried to push herself further away from the immense creature.

Sensing Sayomi's distress, Wonderweiss made a series of noises that seemed incomprehensible to her, but that made the creature retreat into the darkness of the hall they were in. He then turned back to Sayomi and grinned a toothy, innocent grin at her, giggling childishly as he once again flung himself at her and wrapped his arms around her neck.

It was odd, she knew that Wonderweiss was trying to reassure her in his own way that everything was alright and that he wouldn't let anything harm her. Confused, but grateful for the fact the fear she had felt was now gone, Sayomi patted Wonderweiss' back before tickling his sides and filling the dark room with uncontrollable giggles that helped to make the darkness less imposing.

Sayomi paused in her tickling of the young blond that was happily rolling around on the ground, trying to get away from her probing hands. He made a confused grunting noise when she blankly looked towards the wall that faced East, her hands hovering in the air and her head cocking to the side as her eyes narrowed in thought.

"I-Ichigo...but that's not possible, he's-"

She didn't have time to further contemplate the reiatsu she felt when she felt a slight pull and noticed that Wonderweiss was tugging at her sleeve and gesturing behind her where a rip was beginning to form.

"So it's time, is it," she said. "For everything to end."

* * *

Dundundun. Only a few more chapters and this story will be all over. It should be interesting, after all I have yet to fully decide who Sayomi should end up with in the end, Byakuya or Kensei. I'm even thinking of writing an alternate ending and posting it seperately, but I'm not sure yet.

Well thank you to everyone who has reviewed, alerted and faved, please keep them coming since I live off reviews and such. Plus, they're very greatly appreciated.

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	38. Chapter 38 I'll be Here

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

Just to avoid confusion the beginning scene in this chapter happens before Sayomi and Gin join Aizen and Tousen and leave for Karakura. There's lots of skipping around in this one and some things are out of sequence, but that's the way I want them, you've been warned.

**Chapter 38**

**I'll be Here**

"Tousen."

"Yes, Aizen-sama," the dark skinned, dread locked man replied immediately, the reverence and respect he felt towards the brown haired man evident in his voice.

"Tenteikuura." Was all that Aizen deigned to say as he placed his hands behind his back and let a smirk tilt the corners of his lips as Tousen reached for something in his kimono.

Producing two small ink patches, Tousen simply tossed them in the air and the two objects sprang to life, tattooing his arm with an intricate pattern. Once the pattern was complete, he fully straightened his arm and two black boxes, one inside the other, appeared just outside of his reach. "Bakudo number 77, tenteikuura."

"Hello my dear invaders, can you hear me," Aizen began as soon as the connection with the four captains, four lieutenants, Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, Rukia and Hanataro was established. "I thought that I would congratulate you all for your continued success in defeating the members of my Espada. As well as inform you that as of now, we will commence our invasion of the human world. I am leaving Orihime Inoue in the fifth tower, if you would like to retrieve her, she is no longer useful to me and you are free to make your attempt. Sayomi Himura, however, the other person that you all came here to rescue, is no longer in need of your services."

* * *

"No longer in need of our services," Ichigo repeated slowly, confusingly, as he stared blankly into the distance. "What is that supposed to mean? What happened to her?!" He knew there was no point in demanding answers at the moment, the only people near him now were captain Zaraki and his little pink haired lieutenant, Yachiru.

And neither of them had answers to his questions, they were as confused as he was.

* * *

"I don't understand, what does he mean," Renji asked, uncertainty clouding his features as he turned his attention to Uryu.

The black haired boy was sitting atop some of the rubble of Szayel's destroyed experimental room that the boys had fought the strange, twisted scientist inside. He was frowning as he too tried to understand the meaning behind Aizen's cryptic and daunting words.

"Does it really matter," the masked man that was captain of the twelfth division sighed, he was impatiently tapping his foot against the ground as he watched his lieutenant dig through the debris in search of Szayel's laboratory. "The girl was a nuisance anyway. Hurry up, Nemu, I'm growing annoyed with your dawdling."

Ignoring the mad scientist, Uryu pushed his glasses up on his nose and concentrated, blocking everything else out until he found what he was looking for. Sayomi's spiritual pressure that signified she was still alive, but there was something wrong with it. It was too dark and mixed with so much malice that it almost made him think he had somehow been mistaken and that this person wasn't Sayomi. He didn't doubt his own abilities though and he didn't doubt that he really was feeling Sayomi's spirit energy.

* * *

Rukia remained silent, as did Isane, the fourth division's lieutenant, after the statement about Sayomi had been made. Isane's silence had more to do with her needing to concentrate on healing Rukia than anything else.

For Rukia, it was because she had seen the look in her brother's eyes and the way the smoky orbs had narrowed in response to Aizen's words. She wondered if her brother still loved the woman that had disappeared from his life a century before or if it was something else that had so obviously agitated him. It wasn't her place to ask however and so she didn't. She just continued to watch her brother stare over the expanse of Los Noches that stretched for miles and miles to the south.

"I suppose I should elaborate and tell you why Sayomi is no longer in need of you, but that would really ruin the fun. Just know that you, Byakuya Kuchiki, because I know you're listening, were the one ultimately responsible. The rest of you who call her your friend are partly responsible as well, not that it matters now, she is beyond your reach and belongs to me body, heart and soul."

"Brother, are-"

"Weren't you told to remain silent," Byakuya cut in coldly, but Rukia knew that it wasn't his intention to be cold towards her. He just wanted to be left to his thoughts after Aizen's brief and mostly unhelpful explanation for Sayomi no longer being in need of their help.

* * *

"In just a few moments," Aizen continued from where he stood high atop the platform in the fifth tower that he favored over all the others. "I will be standing on the throne of the heavens and Sayomi will be standing proudly beside me. All that needs to be done now is to eradicate you all. Which should be easy since the strength of the Gotei thirteen lies in its thirteen captains. Three of those captains have defected and four have been imprisoned here, effectively cutting the strength of the Gotei in half and leaving them virtually powerless." At that moment, the garganta that allowed the soul reapers to enter Hueco Muendo, closed, trapping them all. "If you'll excuse me, it seems that my queen has arrived."

The connection to all of the invaders of Hueco Muendo was severed as the doors at the far end of the enormous hall were pushed open to reveal Sayomi and Gin. Aizen smirked when he felt that Sayomi was ready for a fight and that her anger had grown more fierce in the short while they had been apart.

"There you are Sayomi, Gin, why don't the both of you join us. We were just about to open the garganta," Aizen informed them, turning to look over his shoulder at them.

* * *

"Hey, Kenpachi," Ichigo said over his shoulder at the large captain of the eleventh squad. "You said my job was to protect my home, right? Well, you're wrong. My job is to protect my friends."

"Huh? What's your point, kid?"

"My point is that you're on your own," Ichigo replied before pushing off from the ground, creating an explosion of sand as he propelled himself towards the fifth tower and where he could sense Orihime and Ulquiorra with her. He could tell that Sayomi was near by as well, but he was having a harder time getting a clear reading on her as he sped towards a collection of tall, gray towers.

* * *

"So what should we do," Renji asked, scratching at his fiery red head of hair.

Uryu frowned, he was standing now and staring off into the distance. "What we came here to," he answered evenly, adjusting his glasses. "Help our friends."

* * *

"We owe a lot to Kisuke...and to Aizen," Shinji said, his tone unusually serious as he replaced his cap on his head and stood up from the chair he had been sitting on in the broken warehouse that had been home to the Vizard for almost a century. "It's time to go."

Kensei, Love, Rose, Hachi, Lisa, Hiyori and Mashiro all rose from where they had been sitting as well. There was an ominous air about them all as they silently head for the door with every intention of breaking through the barrier that had been erected around the fake Karakura town and join the fight against Aizen.

"Hey, Kensei," Shinji called to the gray haired man.

Looking over his shoulder at Shinji, Kensei frowned, he knew what was coming and wanted nothing to do with it. "I don't want to hear it, Shinji."

"Too bad," Shinji replied, scratching at his head as the two fell a few steps behind the rest of the group. "I'm sure you noticed already, but during Sayomi's brief appearance in Karakura with Aizen it was obvious that she ain't herself and she ain't in control. It's like I thought, she submitted to Aizen and the bastard probably didn't make it easy on her. Who knows what he did to her or made her see-"

"What's your point, Shinji," Kensei grunted irritably, he didn't want to think about the things that Aizen had likely done to the woman he still loved very much.

Shinji sighed heavily and shoved his hands in pockets. "My point is that I don't think Sayomi is on our side anymore."

"Yeah, I know," Kensei replied wearily.

"Are you okay with this? We're probably gonna have to-"

"Beat some sense into her," Kensei interrupted. "I'm fine with that."

Shinji chuckled letting his serious demeanor fade away. "Well then, let's get this party started."

* * *

Sayomi stood up from the ground, her eyes narrowing as the rip in the air grew larger and the blue sky over the fake Karakura Town came into view. She could sense the unease of the shinigami as the garganta widened to reveal the giant creature that was looming behind her and Wonderweiss.

The blond boy took her hand and they began to walk forward, into the dark nothingness that was a garganta. When they reached the other side they were greeted with a nearly demolished replica of Karakura and several faces that showed not only surprise, but despair and the hopelessness that came along with a loss that was now quite real and not very far off.

Looking to her left, she saw that her brother, Aizen and Tousen were still trapped in the head captains flaming prison. The fight had been left to the three Espada and their fraccion, from what she could tell, their side had taken more loses than the shinigami. However, the shinigami were not used to the strength of the Espada and the arrancar that served them and though more had survived, most were in no shape to fight.

As her eyes took in the devastation, she saw that Rangiku and the soul reaper with the 69 tattoo on his cheek and another were encased in a strong barrier. Rangiku was missing much of her right side and looked to be on the verge of death if she weren't already dead. The young lieutenant she remembered seeing standing alone in the Ninth division's spot when she was paraded in front of the captain's in Soul Society looked to just be exhausted and badly beaten, but not on the death's doorstep yet. The other girl appeared outwardly fine, but it wasn't hard to tell that she was suffering greatly from an internal injury as she coughed up a stream of blood.

Her blue eyes strayed back to her former subordinate and friend and the blank glaze that had formed over them lightened until there was a look of concern on her face and she began to grow confused. She wanted to help Rangiku, to help the soul reapers that had wanted to kill her because she knew that was what was right. They were fighting to protect the lives of all of the innocent people in Karakura that would be lost should Aizen succeed in making the King's Key, not to mention the thousands if not millions of lives that would be lost after he succeeded in taking the throne of the heavens for himself.

Her breathing was growing unsteady as she stared at the strawberry blond woman and her free hand went to her head and her eyes closed tightly. 'What's going on? I want to help them, I should help them, but...'

As soon as her eyes closed, flashes of the innocent children that had tried to save her flashed through her mind so vividly she felt like she would wretch as her stomach violently revolted. Her air supply was cut off when Byakuya's arm wrapped itself around her throat and tightened with the intent to kill her. She whimpered and shook her head, trying to break free of the hold that the darkness behind her closed lids had on her.

"Ah..."

"Hm," Sayomi jolted out of her stupor, having been unaware that she was even in one until Wonderweiss had spoken and pulled on her hand. Her eyes snapped open when he released her hand and disappeared only to reappear behind captain Ukitake, his right arm thrust through the captain's chest and covered in blood and gore. The white haired captain then plummeted to the earth, surprise still evident on his face as he fell.

Captain Kyoraku was the next to fall, but he fell at the hands of Stark and cero that was fired from a pistol in his left hand.

She couldn't move as she watched the boy withdraw his hand with an innocent giggle from the captain's back and before she could register what she was doing, a sinister smile had appeared on her face and she flashed her way towards the great fireball that had enveloped Aizen, Gin and Tousen. The creature behind her had taken a breath and was exhaling, extinguishing the flames that had jailed the three men.

Appearing at Aizen's side as the flames dispersed entirely, Sayomi wrapped her arms around one of his and giggled as she looked around at the looks on the faces of the shinigami she had every intention of helping to permanently remove from the planet. "You're right, the looks on their faces were worth the wait. I still would have liked to join in on the fun though, after all, now that you're free they're all shaking in their boots since the have lost all hope. They will die and they know it, it's not very amusing to kill people who are expecting to die."

"I don't quite agree," Aizen replied with a dark smirk. "Seeing the fear in their eyes and they way they still struggle to survive even though they know they will die is amusing in its own way."

"I suppose," Sayomi sighed. "But still, there aren't a lot of energetic looking ones left to play with."

"I'm not so sure," Aizen said quietly.

Blinking up at the brown haired, brown eyed man, Sayomi grew confused until another voice spoke up.

"Hey, Aizen. Long time no see."

"Would you look at all those nostalgic faces," Gin drawled from beside her, but she couldn't bring herself to look, her body had frozen again and she clutched to Aizen's arm tightly.

"Sayomi, there is nothing to fear," Aizen assured her, tilting her head up so that he could lock eyes with her and hold her gaze. "They are not your friends, they have turned their backs on you. All of them. They deserve to die, they are in the way of our happiness and we can't allow that, now can we?"

It took her a moment, but slowly she shook her head from side to side. "No, we can't let them," she repeated, her voice sounded distant as if she were in a daze as she spoke and her eyes had further glazed over. She looked like an emotionless doll as she let her hands drop off of Aizen's arm and she took up a position standing between he and Gin, her gaze on the group of eight people she had once considered her friends, until her eyes settled on the stiff and angry form of her former lover and stayed there, blankly studied him.

Lisa and Shinji broke away from the group, Lisa to roughly kick her fallen ex-captain, Kyoraku, and Shinji to greet the head captain that seemed mildly surprised by the appearance of his group.

"I didn't think you were so weak as to let a man control you, Sayomi," Kensei spoke up.

"Weak, Kensei? Not at all, I'm not letting myself be controlled by anything but my hate for those that don't value the lives of anyone aside from themselves," Sayomi replied blandly. "And it has made me anything, but weak."

"Really? The Sayomi I know wouldn't agree with that."

"The Sayomi you know no longer exists," Sayomi stated, her right hand going out to her side. "Breathe, Fuyukaze." There was an eruption of spiritual pressure as the bracelet she wore exploded, flurries of snow circling her wrist and forming the intricately carved blue sheathe that housed her sword. Switching the sheathe to her left hand, she took hold of the blue and silver hilt of the katana and let an arrogant snort slip through her lips as she began to slowly withdraw it.

Being so focused on Kensei, she didn't immediately realize that Wonderweiss was making a series of loud noises until she felt the immense spiritual pressure of several different hollow. Turning her attention from Kensei to the gluttonous creature that Wonderweiss controlled, Sayomi was surprised to see that appeared to vomiting numerous gillian level menos grande.

"That's...kind of gross," she said with a distasteful grimace.

Beside her, Gin scratched at his silvery hair and shrugged. "It's definitely not pretty, but it's effective."

"Effective," she repeated with disdain and a toss of her long hair. "You're underestimating them. Those gillian will be dealt with in less two minutes, it's nothing but a minor distraction for them. If you want to beat them, you'll have to do better than that."

"Well, I didn't exactly do anything," Gin began, trailing off as he watched the scene play out in front of them.

Shinji and Lisa had rejoined the group of other Vizard and Shinji had proclaimed that it was time to get started with a grin on his face before calling upon his inner hollow and pulling his pharaoh like mask over his face. The others followed suit and then donning their hollow masks charged at the mass of gillians that were lumbering around Karakura.

Sayomi didn't care about the others, her eyes were focused on Kensei as he unleashed his inner hollow and released his zanpakuto. He easily blew two gillian to smoking little bits within seconds of charging and had moved on to his third not long after. He was moving with fluid ease through the battlefield, it was obvious he was well trained and extremely skilled as he made his way through gillian after gillian as if they were nothing more than bothersome ants. It was much the same for the others she noted as she let her eyes briefly flicker around to see how the others were doing.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw Mashiro, in her white jumpsuit, with her bee like mask on her face making her way towards the large creature that was behind Wonderweiss and without a word she disappeared from her spot.

"Let her be, Gin," Aizen advised the woman's brother that had curiously turned to follow after her.

Sayomi reappeared in front of Wonderweiss just in time to block Mashiro's leg from slamming into the young boy's face. She grunted against the force of the kick, she was only using her arms to block the girl's leg which was strong despite the girl's size. Evidence to support this was in the fact that before attacking Wonderweiss, Mashiro had taken out the large thing that was behind him. It now lay in a strange and gross looking pile on the rubble several hundred feet below.

Pushing against Mashiro's leg, Sayomi was able to flip the girl back and away from the boy who was loosely holding on to her haori. There was no doubt that Mashiro would attack again and Sayomi had no intention of letting the girl harm Wonderweiss, her hand went towards the hilt of her sword only to pause as her head snapped to her left to see that Shinji was standing several yards in front of Aizen.

She growled and without thinking about the situation she was leaving Wonderweiss in, she flashed back to where she had been. There was a loud screech and a shower of sparks as Shinji's sword collided with Sayomi's as she took a defensive stance in front of Aizen.

Shinji's brown eyes darkened and he gaze Sayomi a rather nasty, disapproving look. "I was really hoping it was just an act, that you were still you, but ya ain't, are ya?"

"Of course I'm me, Shinji and I'm going to kill you," she growled. It was at the same moment that she heard a loud crash and her attention was drawn to where Mashiro had taken a victorious stance over the place that Wonderweiss had smashed into a building.

Gin chuckled. "Poor thing, that was kinda harsh."

Gritting her teeth, Sayomi growled and prepared to push Shinji away and go back to aid Wonderweiss, but she found that the pressure on her sword was suddenly gone. She looked up to see that Shinji had leapt away and there was some blond strands of hair floating in the air where he had been.

"Ya got me," he drawled cheekily.

"No, I missed," Tousen replied coolly. "I was trying to take your head off from the eyes up, that little scratch doesn't count."

Figuring Tousen could handle himself, Sayomi shrugged and sheathed Fuyukaze, strapping the katana to her back before making her way to Wonderweiss. He was laying on his back in a pile of rubble, completely unconscious due to the harsh blow he had taken followed by the impact with the building he had demolished when he had crashed through it.

Leaning down beside him, she brushed some of his hair from his face and almost started laughing when he began to snore. "I think you'll be just fine," she chuckled.

"He may be fine, but you won't."

Letting her eyes slick upwards, she let a cold, heartless smirk form on her lips when her eyes met Kensei's. He had removed his hollow mask and stood in the air above her, it was easy to see by the way that his eyes were slightly narrowed and the stubborn set of his jaw that he was unhappy with her.

"Is that so," Sayomi challenged, rising from her crouch and tapping her feet against the concrete lightly to send herself soaring into the air so that she was eye to eye with Kensei.

"Yeah," he replied, settling himself in an offensive position. "I'm going to beat some sense into that thick skull of yours."

She chuckled darkly. "You won't be able to touch me, but you're welcome try." In one fluid, graceful movement, she had unsheathed Fuyukaze and was grinning at Kensei.

The serious set of Kensei's face never faltered as he watched Sayomi draw her zanpakuto and grin arrogantly at him. "I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to do this, Sayomi," he informed her wearily. "I don't want to hurt you and I know you don't want to hurt me."

Her grasp loosened on her zanpakuto and she gasped, her eyes blinking several times as she stared at Kensei and for a moment she could feel the desperation that seeped through her whole body and was evident in her face. "K-Ken..sei.." She closed her eyes for a moment and as soon as she did, her mind went blank and her hands tightened their grasp on her sword. "Enough talking, I thought you were going to beat some sense into me."

"Fine, have it your way. I won't go easy on you and I won't stop until you open your eyes," he told her. "And when you do...I'll be here for you."

* * *

Again, this isn't very well edited, so yeah...Sorry for any errors, hopefully there aren't too many though.....In my defense, I've been really sick and medicated so sleep sounds better than editing, k.

Anywho, I'm working on getting this finished and once this is done expect updates on just about everything else. I then intend to finish Tainted so that I will only have four stories at one time and not the six I currently have going. At which point I plan on trying to focus on Of Death and Love since it's been seriously neglected these past several months.

Well, enough blabbering from me, please review and tell me what you think. I have decided the final pairing for the story by the way, I'm not telling, but just so you know. ;) I'd also say that there are about four chapters left, but we'll see. Please review!


	39. Chapter 39 Conflicting Realities

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 39**

**Conflicting Realities**

For several minutes, not a single word had been spoken between the battling couple as they exchanged a series of skilled and brutal blows. Steel clashed with steel in loud screeches and spark-filled displays as buildings crumbled and shook from the sheer power that the two were exerting without ever doing anything more than sword fighting. There was no kido, there was no using the powers of their swords, just plain sword to sword and hand to hand to combat.

The fight was personal after all and using anything but their own power would make it far less enjoyable for them. Then again the only one who appeared to be enjoying themselves was Sayomi, she had a twisted grin on her face through most of the fighting and would laugh harshly every time she landed a blow on Kensei that managed to draw blood. Kensei on the other hand maintained a calm, but determined look while battling against her.

This wasn't just a simple fight to him, it was a fight to get back the woman he loved and he knew he had to step carefully or risking getting himself killed. There was also the possibility that he could seriously harm her, she wasn't fighting at full power, she couldn't from what he could tell. She was still recovering from everything that she had been through in the past several days. Nearly dying, not once, but twice. Having her soul ripped out of the artificial body she had been living in for almost a century. Her strength had not yet been fully recovered. Even if she wasn't using all of her power, that didn't change the fact that she was stronger than him when she was. He didn't particularly mind the fact that she wasn't fighting at full power, he was still having a difficult time of fighting her as it was. She was trying to kill him and even at about two thirds of her normal strength, she was incredibly strong.

One other thing bothered him. For a moment before the fighting had began, she had appeared to break out of whatever spell was causing her to turn into someone else and she had looked so desperately lost and broken that he was worried about what might happen if he were to awaken her from it. There was a very good chance that she would break down entirely and there was no telling what would happen then, but he doubted that it would be good.

"Hm?" Sayomi blinked, jolting slightly and taking her attention from Kensei, her grasp growing momentarily slack on her zanpakuto to look over her shoulder at the garganta that had been opened to allow the beast that Wonderweiss controlled to slink back into the darkness of Hueco Muendo and nurse its wounds.

For a moment, she was certain that she could sense not just Ichigo's spiritual pressure, but Uryu's. The two were close together, but it was Ichigo's that was skyrocketing in what felt to be a response to Ulquiorra's. The melancholy looking Espada was unleashing a great deal of energy from what she could tell and it made her lose focus and forget entirely about what she was doing or even where she was. That was until her sword was nearly spun out of her grasp and she coughed a small amount of blood when a booted foot was thrust into her stomach, throwing her slim body back several yards only to stop when she was slammed roughly into a pile of junk and garbage and then the large metal trash bin the mess surrounded.

Staying where he was, Kensei watched the dust clear from where Sayomi had landed and heard her mumbled and disgruntled curses as she picked her way out of the trash that had surrounded the bin. His amber eyes briefly flickered to where Aizen and Gin stood, Aizen was watching him with a small, but condescending smirk. Gin appeared to be engrossed in the fight that was currently taking place between the large captain of the Seventh division, Komomura, the lieutenant of the Ninth division, Hisagi and Tousen.

Shinji wasn't far away, he appeared to be simply watching everything at this point, taking in the remaining players and trying to decide on his next move. His goal was Aizen, but there was no way to get close to the man at the moment, not with the massive scale of the fight between Tousen and those he had betrayed to side with Aizen.

Returning his attention back to Sayomi as she emerged from her landing place, clearly annoyed and angry at having been tossed quite literally into the trash, Kensei's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Sayomi appeared to have regained control of herself, she was no longer distracted and the glassy sheen had returned to her eyes. He had sensed the reiatsu that had caused her moment of confusion and had ended with her completely lowering her guard to the point he that made him think she had actually forgotten what was going on around her. He just wasn't sure why the reiatsu would make her react that way, he did have every intention of finding out.

"You shouldn't let your guard down during a fight, that's a pretty stupid mistake that only rookies make. It's really hard to believe that you ever made it to captain, you're a weak little girl that lets others control her," Kensei taunted.

Narrowing her eyes, Sayomi hissed through her teeth as she glared up at the silver haired man she had been fighting before tapping her feet on the ground soaring towards him, her sword poised at her side, ready to strike. Bringing the blade down with every intention of cutting Kensei in half, she growled when her blade was stopped by his and she was pushed away from him.

"Rookies like that Kurosaki kid. I can't believe the runt is still alive and fighting," Kensei said, not missing the way Sayomi's eyes had widened and she had taken a step backwards.

"I don't know what the hell you're trying to do," she snarled viciously, her pale eyes darkening as she crouched partially and then flung herself at him. "But Ichigo is dead and it had nothing to do with him being a rookie," she shouted angrily, all the while raining blow after blow down upon Kensei who blocked them all, to her extreme annoyance.

"So that's what you think, huh," he muttered, stepping out of the way of a graceful sweep of her sword arm to flash behind her and quickly say, "Bakudo, number nine, Geki. Hado, number one, Sho."

All she could do was make a noise of surprise as her body was engulfed in red light and she was suddenly thrust towards the ground. She landed in the middle of a deserted street, her impact causing a small crater form around her.

"Dammit," Sayomi cursed, trying to remain calm so that she could counter the paralyzing kido with her own as she coughed in response to the thick cloud of dust that was writhing around her.

A soft growl leaked from her lips when she heard Kensei's boots stepping down on to the roadway not far from her, the dust was making it difficult to see him clearly, but she stared hatefully at the shadow she could see just beyond it.

"I find it hard to believe that the most sensitive person in our group can't tell what's real from what's fake. Ichigo's not dead, Sayomi, or are you so deep under his control that you can't even figure that out for yourself," Kensei asked her somberly.

"I'm not under anyone's control! I saw him die, Kensei, I saw the sword plunge through his heart and then I saw it ripped out when it was the only thing keeping him standing upright as his eyes glazed over with death. I saw Uryu and all the others brutally murdered and why?! For what?!" She screamed, her chest rising and falling rapidly as tears filled her eyes.

The dust that had swallowed her was clearing now and she could see Kensei clearly once again. He was standing a few yards away looking at her with the a look that was so familiar that she had to shut her eyes in an attempt to shut him out. The gesture did her no good. Instead visions of night nearly eighty years passed filled her mind. The night that Kensei had finally had enough of Sayomi's sulking and depressed mood and confronted her about it because he loved her and had loved her for a very long time. It was the same look.

"Stop it," she shouted, her voice cracking with emotion. "Just go away...You-you're in the way!"

"In the way of what," he asked. "Aizen's plans to make you an obedient lap dog? Your friends aren't dead, Sayomi."

"Shut up! What would you know?! I saw it, Kensei, I saw them all die and all because the Soul Society didn't trust them and blocked their escape back to this world."

"Then why would they send captains to help them, Sayomi, snap out of it already, you're being-"

"They weren't sent to help them," she snapped. "They were sent to kill Orihime and I. They weren't there to help."

"That makes no sense and you know it," Kensei challenged.

"Whether it makes sense or not, it's what she believes."

Sayomi's eyes widened and she tilted her back as the paralyzing spell that was placed on her was released. "Gin," she said questioningly as she struggled to sit up in the rubble of the broken street that surrounded her.

Kensei's stance became defensive and his eyes hardened as he turned towards the newcomer. "What else does she believe."

The thin man sighed and scratched at his head. "That Capt'n Kuchiki no longer loves her and that he tried to kill her. That I killed him. That's all easy enough to disprove an' all, but she also believes that she can trust Aizen."

"Wh-what's...going on," Sayomi stuttered, her eyes wide and blank as she stared at Gin in confusion.

"Nothing, kiddo, but jeez yur a mess. I take my eyes off of ya for one second and look what happens." Gin shook his head as if he were addressing a child that had fallen into a mud puddle.

There was something behind Gin's words to him, Kensei knew it, but he wasn't sure what else there was to gather from the man's statement. He could tell that Gin wasn't all that pleased with the state Sayomi was in either. In fact, he seemed rather upset by the entire thing, angry almost, but there was something holding him back from doing anything about that anger. That's when something seemed to click in his head and he realized that Gin couldn't do anything to help Sayomi regardless of how much he wanted to. He was bound to Aizen and not only that, there was no way he alone could stand up to him, especially not with Sayomi around and believing that she had to protect him.

His thoughts were cut off when Sayomi cried out suddenly. Looking over at her, he saw that she was clutching onto the hilt of her zanpakuto with one hand while the other was holding her head. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut and her teeth smashed together.

"Well, that's enough of that," Gin stated, walking towards Sayomi as she began to shake her head and mumble to herself.

"What are you doing," Kensei growled. "Get away from her."

"Now don't be difficult," Gin chided lightly. "She's gonna hurt herself if she keep this up. Besides, you should worry about yourself first."

Kensei leaped out of the way of Gin's blade that shot out at him and though he hadn't gone far it gave the silver haired man the time he needed to place a hand on Sayomi's head and with a small pulse of green light, put the distraught woman to sleep. He then picked up her fallen zanpakuto and sheathed it, sliding it into his own obi before picking the small woman up and turning to walk into a garganta that opened up behind him.

* * *

Her head tossed from side to side, her forehead was coated in a shiny film of sweat and her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to take in full and deep breaths. She could feel several clashes of powerful reiatsu, many of which belonged to people she thought to be dead. They were fighting ferociously to live and overcome the obstacles in their paths.

Just as she was trying to desperately brush away the fog that covered much of her mind and made it hard for her to tell what was reality and what was nothing more than false images and feelings that had been inserted into her mind. Reality had no meaning in the fog, but she struggled to find it anyway.

Writhing in the bed she laid in, she tried to sort through what she thought to be the truth and what she could sense. Her senses were telling her that Ichigo was alive and so was Uryu, Chad, Rukia, Renji and even Byakuya and Grimmjow. The stronger her senses felt that what they were telling her was real, the thicker and more dense the fog that covered her mind became until she found it hard to even recall where she was, let alone who she was.

'_You are not this weak, Sayomi-sama, you must open your eyes and see for yourself. Do not let yourself be controlled and used like this. You are better than this._'

Gasping, her eyes flew open and she sat bold upright, her eyes staring blankly at the sheets that covered her. 'That voice. I know that voice,' she thought to herself, her small hands curling into fists as she clutched at the sheets.

'_You can hear me again. I was beginning to think I would never reach you_.'

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear the voice from it, Sayomi made a choked sobbing sound and laid back down, curling into a ball with her hands clutching at her head. "Go away. You're interfering."

'_You don't really believe that, little hime, do you? I have only ever tried to protect you, why do you doubt me now_?'

"I...I don't...I don't know what I believe."

'_Do you trust me, Sayomi-sama?_'

"Trust you?" She questioned slowly, her eyes opening and her body growing slack as the words set off a reaction in her mind. A vision formed in the fog and she saw herself sitting on the floor of the dungeon that Byakuya had been held in, Byakuya's body behind her.

"_I need to know if you trust me," Aizen asked, standing over her and offering her his hand._

"_Yes, I trust you."_

"I trust him," she said shakily as the vision faded back into the fog. "I trust Aizen."

'_So do I not have your trust any longer then? What have I ever done to make you lose faith in me?'_

"Shut up," she pleaded, curling into herself again. "Please."

'_Is that really what you want, Sayomi-sama, for me to leave you? We've been together a long time, but you have never once wanted me to leave. You and I have always been close, closer than most and I would like to think that you wouldn't banish me into the darkness because you have forgotten our time together. Besides, I made a promise when we first met, didn't I, that I would never leave you?_'

She groaned in protest when another scene began to change the fog around her once again. This time it formed a serene mountainous landscape below her while she stood on a fluffy white cloud in a vast blue sky. In front of her stood a man that was beautiful beyond words, with long white hair and crystalline blue eyes. The longer she stared at him in his blue hakama and white kimono, the more real the scene around her became. It was when the man chuckled at her that she realized she could feel a cool, calming breeze caressing her cheeks and she closed her eyes, relishing the feeling that was overcoming her. She felt peaceful again, as if she had finally found the place where she belonged.

"Fuyukaze," she whispered, the name suddenly forming in her mind. At the same moment, the vision distorted as the world around her heaved violently. She whimpered softly as tendrils of fog began to crawl up the man's legs and her own, trying to pull her out of the world that had become very real to her. "No," she mumbled, her voice vibrating with panic as she tried to pull her legs free, but couldn't. "Fuyukaze!" She shouted, her eyes shutting and tears spilling down her cheeks.

"_It's alright, Sayomi-sama, I'm right here. Open your eyes._"

With the voice came a sense of weightlessness and Sayomi opened her eyes to see that Fuyukaze stood before her, completely unharmed and untouched by the fog that was swirling around him. He reached out to her and carefully pulled her free of the fog that was attempting to pull her back into the part of her mind that had fallen prey to Aizen's will. All she could do was stare at the man as he gathered her into his arms and smiled warmly down at her.

"_It's rude to stare, you know_," he told her with a chuckle.

Blinking rapidly, Sayomi looked away and noticed that they were still standing in the sky above the mountain range, but what she had at first thought was a peaceful and tranquil mountain range was nothing of the sort. The howls and screams of the wind that were ripping through the area below them were so loud that she didn't know how she hadn't noticed them sooner.

"What's going on," she asked in confusion, watching as winds, full of tiny, but sharp fragments of ice and snow whipped through the mountains at incredible speeds, tearing rocks from their places in some cases and hurtling them through the air to smash into others that tumbled down the faces of the mountains.

"_The winds have been trying to get their master's attention, but it has been hard for them to make themselves heard. They were being forced to obey the will of someone that was not their master and so they grew destructive, hoping to destroy the one that was keeping them from her_."

"Obey the will of someone else." Her eyebrows knit together as she continued to watch the dizzying blizzards. "They must really have missed their master."

"_They have, but I think they will be quieting soon, don't you?_"

She looked up at Fuyukaze and there was a moment that she was unsure of what to say as she gazed into the man's deep blue eyes, but then she smiled and nodded. "Yes, I think they will."

"_Sayomi-hime?_" Fuyukaze asked worriedly as the petite woman's eyes grew briefly unfocused and she paled drastically.

"I..I feel..." She began to say, her breathing becoming forced and shallow as her eyes closed in hopes that the way the world had abruptly began to swirl and twist would stop when she did.

Instead the feeling intensified and she felt as if she were being pulled in several directions at once. She could hear Fuyukaze's voice calling out to her, trying to keep her with him, but it was beginning to fade away.

"Sayomi!"

She sucked in a large breath, her eyes opening at the sound of her name and she could see a face hovering above her. Her vision cleared and she was able to see that the person above her wasn't the same as the one who had been holding her just a few seconds before, but the frowning face of her brother.

"Gin?"

"It's about time ya woke up, ya had me worried, sleepy head," he said, ruffling her hair playfully as he grinned at her.

"Ah," she gasped, her eyes growing wide the air was knocked from her lungs and she felt as if she were being crushed from all sides. Her hands grasped at the fabric of her shirt in a useless attempt to alleviate the pressure.

Gin watched her, but did nothing to help her even though it would have been easy enough for him to use his own spiritual pressure to combat the ones that were pressing down upon her. Helping her would be counter productive, if he helped her then how would she realize that she was no longer restricted from using her powers in Los Noches, after all.

The pain of feeling as if she were being stepped on like she was nothing but a tiny ant, was almost unbearable, but there was a cool breeze that pushed the pain aside and with a deep breath made the pressure disappear. Opening her eyes, Sayomi looked at Gin, puzzled by the fact that she had been able to use her own reiatsu when she was aware that they were in Los Noches.

"Thought it might be a good idea for ya to be able use your soul power while here, ya know, just in case," Gin explained with a proud grin and a shrug.

"The reiatsu just now that was Ichigo's," she said, not understanding how someone she had seen die could possibly be unleashing such an insane amount of energy. The mixture of feelings and sensations was almost too much for her to handle. Her body was fighting with itself, trying to decide what to believe. Her senses or the voices that were telling her that Ichigo and the others were dead, accompanied by flashes of each of their deaths.

"And Ulquiorra's, the two are fightin' above the dome. It ain't a very pretty scene to be honest," he replied, scratching at his cheek with his index finger.

"Ichigo...he's losing control of his inner hollow."

"Yup. Ulquiorra's pushed him to his limit. Your Quincy friend is tryin' to help, but it doesn't seem to be going to well for 'im."

"But...they're dead," she said shakily, her breaths growing erratic and her body trembling.

"They're not dead, Sayomi," Gin informed her.

Her head felt as if someone where trying to crack it open, the pressure was immense and she didn't know what to believe. All she could do was sit on the bed and rock herself until she stopped abruptly, her head cocking to the side and her eyes growing distant. A low growl rumbled out of her throat before she leapt out of the bed, grabbing Fuyukaze as she went and flash out of the room.

Gin sighed, scratching at his cheek as he stared at the now empty bed. "Well that wasn't very effective, now was it?"

* * *

She had no idea how much time had passed since the she had first stepped foot in Karakura Town with Aizen, but somehow she didn't think it was very much. From what she could tell, Byakuya hadn't moved far from where she had last seen him and he was having his wounds healed. It was what wounds he was having healed that she was uncertain of. She remembered seeing him slice through the tendons and muscles of his own arm and leg, but she also remembered that Gin had speared him with his own zanpakuto earlier. A part of her knew that what she had seen while in the dungeon was not real, but just an illusion that Aizen had wanted her to see. But that didn't make it any easier to ignore the rage that she felt towards him even though she knew that the emotion was forced upon her and was nothing but a fake.

_'If you calm down, little hime, and focus you just might be able to figure out what is real and what isn't. I know that doesn't sound easy and I know that everything is very confusing, but you shouldn't do anything rash.'_

'He betrayed me.'

'_He did, but not the way that Aizen wants you to think_.'

'I know that Fuyukaze. I know that and I still can't stop myself.' She came to halt in the sandy dunes that surrounded the tower that Aaroneiro had claimed for his home. There were bits and pieces of the fallen tower scattered throughout the landscape and there was even still ice clinging to some of them. Her eyes roamed over everything until they came to rest upon the man she had been searching for. He stood atop a small dune, looking down at her with steely gray eyes that narrowed ever so slightly when he caught sight of the look in her eyes.

"So what Aizen said is true then," he inquired blandly. "I'm surprised that you would let yourself be controlled so easily, Sayomi. Especially by the likes of a traitor like Aizen. I didn't think you were that weak."

"Just shut up, Byakuya," she seethed. "I know I'm weak and that I've let myself be controlled, but unfortunately there isn't anything I can do about it now. I suggest you draw your sword, I can't hold back the hate that I feel towards you for trying to kill me much longer."

"Trying to kill you," he repeated, a thin black brow arching upwards.

"An illusion, but a very real one and one that I'm having a very hard time disbelieving." Sayomi took a firm hold of Fuyukaze's hilt in her right hand, holding the sheath in her left as she prepared to draw the katana from its holder.

"Your hands are shaking, are you sure you want to fight in that condition. You will lose."

"Stop acting so high and mighty, Byakuya and fight me!" Pulling Fuyukaze from his sheath, Sayomi launched herself into the air at Byakuya. She wasn't at all surprised when the nobleman calmly blocked her blow without a single emotion present on his face.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Sayomi smirked, but jumped backwards as Byakuya's blade broke into hundreds of pink pieces that floated on the air as if they were nothing more than harmless cherry blossom petals. With a graceful flick of her wrist and a quick spin of her katana, the pink blades that flew at her were knocked away by an unseen wind.

"It seems you really have gotten weak, Sayomi, you used to be able to block them all," Byakuya said casually, his eyes on her left side.

"What," she questioned, looking down to see that her sleeve was tattered and almost completely gone. Her arm was covered in scratches and even her side had several that were leaking little streams of blood, staining her white kimono. "Impossible, how," she muttered.

"Is it really that hard to understand? You're distracted, you're not only fighting me, you're fighting yourself and you appear to be losing. Otherwise, you might actually be able to fully control your own powers."

'_He's right, hime, you need to decide what you believe before you get yourself killed or fall into the darkness that Aizen has created for you_,' Fuyukaze spoke up.

'What do I believe?' She thought, staring at her trembling hands blankly and trying to sift through what she knew to be real and what she knew to be fake. It was easier said then done, after all perfect hypnosis, is perfect.

"Ban-kai," she mumbled, letting Fuyukaze slip out of her grasp, the blade slowly spinning until the tip touched the sand. "Fuyukaze, Ruler of the Frozen Lands."

There was an explosion of reiatsu and gale force winds, snowflakes joined the mix as the temperature plummeted and icy tendrils began to creep their way over the sand.

"I will show you what I believe," Sayomi stated coldly as the winds around her died down and her blue eyes that were now lined by frost covered lashes looked icily up at Byakuya. "That anyone who betrays me, should die!"

"Have it your way then. Ban-kai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

* * *

Meh. This didn't come out quite the way I had planned. I was wanting it to be a little more emotional and such, but I was having issues. Not to mention I wanted to write better fight scenes, but I had issues with that too. Well, depending on how it goes, there may only be two chapters left to The Night Beauty. Then again, there was supposed to be a bit more to this chapter, but if I kept it going then it's highly likely that there would only have been one chapter left after this.

Anywho. Thanks go out to.... shinoluver, cheeky half-demon, gagboy, creativelyspacey, XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, KizunaCho, sun-sun kat, sweetpinkcaramel, EvilBoyzR2Cute, Tobi-luvs-itachi, BleedmetoINSANITY, PokeMariah, momoirotan, and Uzumaki Saya, for all reviewing the last chapter. I appreciate it very much!

Please review!


	40. Chapter 40 Awakenings

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

**Chapter 40**

**Awakenings**

"If they keep this up they're gonna destroy Los Noches," Gin observed as he watched Sayomi and Byakuya fight from the monitoring room. Finding that it was safer to not be anywhere near the tempest that Sayomi had created in the desert and the number of pink blades that were diving through the freezing, snow laced winds. With a sigh, he stood up and lazily scratched at his chin, his lips pulled into a frown. "Aizen'll kill me if they destroy the palace. Not to mention, Sayomi doesn't appear to be doin' too well."

* * *

The once quiet and calm sand dunes that covered the uninhabited portions of Los Noches were being torn apart by the gale force winds that churned around Sayomi as she instructed them with her hands, jumping and flashing around to try and catch Byakuya off guard. The noble wasn't to be beaten easily however, his own flurry of pink blades instantaneously coming to his aid when they were needed. He had yet to receive a single scratch from Sayomi's swirls of icy wind.

Sayomi on the other hand was covered in tiny bleeding cuts, her clothes were ripped and torn, covered in dust and dirt from the few times she had been thrust into the sand or one of the surrounding buildings. All around them was destruction, a virtual war zone where nothing escaped unharmed. Rubble lay strewn everywhere within several hundreds yards of them, covered in frost and deep scratches.

Her outward appearance reflected her inner struggles to try and sort through the mess that was her mind. It was no easy task and she was having a hard time sorting though everything, but she was managing. The longer she fought with Byakuya, the less anger there was showing on her face until her face was almost devoid of emotion. Her eyes had narrowed, but there was no longer a raging storm to be seen through them, only unease and uncertainty. Fighting Byakuya while trying to sort through everything that had happened was taking its toll on her, she was breathing much heavier than she should have been and though she wasn't quite up to full strength, she felt far weaker than she should have been. Not to mention that she was having a much harder time getting the winds to obey her than she normally did, a sign that though she was struggling fiercely against Aizen's hold, she was losing and wasn't being recognized as their master. It had been awhile since she had actually heard Fuyukaze's voice, every now and again she was sure she could hear him snidely commenting about her lack of control, but she couldn't be certain and she decided to ignore the comments anyway.

Leaping onto a large chunk of what had once been a nearby tower, Sayomi stopped her assault on Byakuya and fell onto her knees. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly and her head was pounding so fiercely she thought it was going to explode.

"Done already? How disappointing, Sayomi."

Growling lowly, she tilted her head up to fix him with a frustrated glare. "Shut up."

Ignoring the menacing look he was receiving, Byakuya continued to taunt Sayomi. All with an arrogant and pompous expression on his face. "Such a weak display is painful to watch and unworthy of my time. If you're through, I have some business to attend to."

"Bastard," she growled, rising from her feet and lifting a hand to restart the fight she had paused. Her eyes widened and her head snapped to the side however, when pale, thin fingers wrapped themselves around her small wrist. "Gin?"

"That's about enough of that," he drawled, grinning down at her. "You're destroyin' the whole place. Aizen wouldn't be pleased."

"Like I give a shit," she hissed, starting slightly when she realized that she truly meant it and blinking several times before she finally realized that though her head was aching almost blindingly, the fog that had clouded it wasn't as thick as before. Relaxing her tense and aggressive stance, she blankly stared at her surroundings, not seeing anything but the separating of what was real and what was not. It was like standing at a fork in a road, one way was everything that she knew was fake and on the other was reality, just with a few holes and gaps.

The reality of the situation was that Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, Rukia, everyone who had come to Hueco Muendo, was still alive. Byakuya had never tried to kill her, he had never been captured by Aizen and he had never been murdered by Gin. Everything she was so angry and upset about had never happened, Aizen had made her see it in order to control her and she had let him. She had followed his every word and had willingly slept with man, again. Thinking about what she had done made her shiver in disgust and nearly vomit, but she resisted and instead tried to think of what she would do now that she was no longer under his hold and could tell the real from the fake.

"Feelin' any better," Gin inquired.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she turned her attention to her brother. "Yeah," she answered slowly, her face pulling into a confused and thoughtful frown. Her lips pursed together and her brows drew downwards, at the same time, she recalled Fuyukaze and the katana quickly materialized in her hand. She sheathed not a moment later. "What are you doing, Gin?" She inquired concern and uncertainty lacing her tone.

"What I should've a long time ago. Now be a good little girl and go play with the pretty captain in the real world, k?"

"What-" Sayomi was never able to finish questioning the grinning man when he, in a flash, unsheathed his zanpakuto and sent Shinzo flying towards Byakuya. Of course, the noble retaliated and Sayomi's eyes widened dramatically when a flurry of pink blades began to soar towards her and Gin.

Shielding her eyes with her arms, Sayomi grunted as she was thrown backwards, only to be confused by the sudden darkness that had engulfed her. Lowering her arms, she realized she was in a garganta and could see Gin grinning and waving at her from the entrance. It took her a moment, during which she was confusingly blinking at her brother, to realize she was beginning to fall through the darkness since she hadn't bothered to try and create a solid walkway to land on in the empty void. Eyes widening again, Sayomi tried to focus on slowing her descent and focus her spirit energy into creating a stable landing place with her reiatsu. Much to her surprise, she was caught by the wrist in a strong grasp, the sudden pressure and halting of her fall causing her to squeak like a mouse.

"Really, Sayomi, are you so useless you can't even create a stable pathway in a garganta?"

Growling, she turned her face up to Byakuya. "I don't know if you noticed, you arrogant ass, but I didn't exactly have a chance to create a walkway between being attacked by you and being thrown into here."

"And falling," Byakuya added, smirking lightly in response to the irritated snarl she graced him with as he pulled her up beside him and on to the path he had created.

"Keep it up, Kuchiki, I'll kick your ass," she muttered, stubbornly turning away from him and beginning to walk away on her own path.

"You're going the wrong way or did you fail to notice that that is the same direction we came in through?"

Stopping abruptly, Sayomi refused to turn around to face the black haired, smoky eyed noble who was likely smugly watching her with an amused expression on his normally stoic face. Taking a deep breath, Sayomi glanced over her shoulder. "I was busy."

"Falling, I know."

"Do you want me to kill you or something," she asked in annoyance, turning around to stalk passed him with her chin stuck high in the air.

"You already tried and failed once, why disappoint yourself again," he remarked, falling into step behind her.

Eyebrow twitching uncontrollably, Sayomi pulled Fuyukaze from his sheath on her back and in a lightning quick movement, had released him into ban-kai mode and sent him flying towards Byakuya. Having expected this, the captain had already unsheathed his own zanpakuto and elegantly released it.

Needless to say their arrival into the real world was quite dramatic and showy.

Flurries of ice laden snow and uncountable numbers of pink blades exploded through the mouth of he garganta, blowing the windows out of the nearby buildings and cracking several of the walls. Brick and plaster crumbled, littering the empty streets with debris. The noise echoed throughout the entirety of the town, drawing everyone's attention and halting the several fights that were currently taking place.

With a morbid smirk on her face, Sayomi tapped her feet against the wall of a white three story building she had landed on, creating a dent in its surface as she flew towards Byakuya. The man had remained near the opening of the garganta that was slowly closing behind him. He looked mildly irritated by the fact that Sayomi had managed to inflict a cut to his right cheek and had also sliced off half of his right sleeve. He scolded himself for not taking her seriously at the beginning of their most recent fight, it had been obvious that she was no longer being plagued by doubt and her earlier weakness had been a byproduct of that. No longer weak or distracted, she was fighting with much more vigor, despite the fact he knew she wouldn't actually kill him, she was angry and was enjoying herself far too much. If he wasn't careful, she might just manage to beat him, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

Both people had allowed replicas of their swords to appear in their hands and with a screech the blades met, bringing the two so close that Sayomi almost found herself forgetting just what she was doing as she caught Byakuya's scent that was rolling off of his body and looked up into his eyes that were watching her with a hint of amusement despite the blank look on his face.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it," she remarked with a cheeky grin.

"Not pleasant ones," Byakuya replied arrogantly.

"Only because you used to lose all the time."

The noble's brows arched upwards, clearly annoyed by the statement. "I think you're confused, I never lost."

"Uh huh," Sayomi drawled, pushing away from him and skidding to a stop a few yards away. She recalled Fuyukaze to her and once the sword had reformed in its entirety, she sheathed it. "I don't think there's a reason to continue fighting amongst ourselves, it looks like there's quite a bit going on. I must say I had expected more from the shinigami, it's a bit pathetic to see that so many of them have been defeated," she observed dryly. "And you were calling me weak, Byakuya, how insulting."

"It sounds like you no longer consider yourself a shinigami," Byakuya remarked.

Sayomi snorted in disdain. "I haven't been a shinigami for over a hundred years and my loyalties no longer lie with them."

"Where do they lie?"

Glancing over her shoulder, Sayomi met Byakuya's eye before replying. "Wouldn't you like to know..."

* * *

Shinji had spent the last several minutes trying to get close to Aizen and had so far failed every single time. Tousen, despite being busy fighting both captain Komomura and his former lieutenant, Hisagi, was able to continually block the blond's attacks on his master. Becoming too annoyed with trying to get to Aizen to no avail, Shinji had simply stood back and watched the fight. Just as Aizen himself was doing.

Currently there were four fights taking place. The first was obviously between Komomura, Hisagi and Tousen and though it was two against one, the soul reapers didn't seem to be faring well at the moment. It wasn't hard to see that Hisagi was having a hard time forcing himself to remain on his feet, the young man looked exhausted and was far too sluggish. Captain Komomura on the other hand seemed to be able to hold his own, but he too had already engaged in another fight and though by no means worn out, he wasn't at full strength either. Unlike Tousen who had been unable to fight before then.

One was between Lisa, Hiyori, captain Hitsugaya and the number three Espada, Halibel. Lisa appeared to be the one attacking while Hiyori and the young captain spent their time bickering and distractedly attacking when needed. So far neither side appeared to be winning or losing.

Another was between Love, Rose and the number one Espada, Stark along with his fraccion turned his weapon, Lilinette. This fight was hard to read. Stark was the number one Espada for a reason, but he was acting more like a sloth than an experienced and skilled fighter. He was barely fighting back even though it was apparent he wasn't even using a fraction of his power. Love had done most of the fighting up until then and if things continued at their current pace, then he should be finished shortly and without requiring help.

Shinji had watched the number one Espada and even though the man appeared to not want to fight, he was afraid that if he found some motivation not even the two skilled former captains would be any match for him.

The last fight and the one that seemed to be fast approaching its end was between Hachi, second division captain Soi Fon and the fearsome looking number two Espada, Barragan. Soi Fon's lieutenant, the large man that didn't fit the description that would usually come to mind for a man in special ops, Omaeda, stood not far behind. Hachi was using high level and extremely strong kido to seal the the self proclaimed king of Hueco Muendo and his frightening ability to age people and things into a barrier that made it difficult for the man to escape. Hachi was currently trying to bargain with Soi Fon for the petite woman's help, but the woman was reluctant and was refusing to acknowledge that she knew the other man at all.

Sighing, Shinji looked around to see that Mashiro was watching the fighting from a distance. The girl was perched on the ledge of a broken balcony, her legs swinging over the edge as she watched with wide eyes, occasionally yelling out victory cries or taunting someone when they took a hit. Kensei, was standing behind her, his brow twitching uncontrollably at the small girl's shouting and constant questioning. The two had refrained from joining in of the fighting, there were already at least two people fighting each Espada and Kensei had thought it best to remain out of harms way unless they needed to get involved. They conserved energy that way and would be able to quickly go to anyone's aid or deal with any unexpected arrivals. Like the ones that had just blasted their way quite loudly into the living world.

"Well, she does know how to make an entrance, I'll give her that," Shinji muttered to himself, scratching lazily at the back of his head as he watched the dust settle from Sayomi and the Sixth division captain's arrival.

The sudden arrival of the two battling people, caused enough of a distraction that Shinji had no intention of letting the moment go to waste. With no hesitation he leapt forward, fully intending to slice Aizen in two.

The screaming of steel clashing with steel filled the air, followed by a shower of bright sparks as Sayomi appeared in front of Aizen. She smirked at Shinji as she blocked his blade from taking off the man's head and earned an agitated glare from the blond. Until she winked at him and her grin widened. Chuckling under his breath, Shinji shook his head and forcefully pulled his sword downwards and to the left. Using the momentum from Shinji's move, Sayomi spun around and deftly brought her sword up so that the blade was out in front of her, the hilt at her right shoulder and the tip just past the other. The move was completed flawlessly and with little effort and would have been effective in removing Aizen's head from his body had another silver blade not blocked its path.

Gasping, her eyes widening, Sayomi stuttered over the name of Aizen's protector. "G-Gin...Why?"

The silver haired man was not grinning, that much was easy to tell, but he had his head tilted down so that it was hard to see much of his face, let alone the expression that graced it.

"I'm sorry, Sayomi," he replied, his usual accented yet polite tone sounding far more serious than she was used to hearing him ever sound.

Before she had the chance to question him, she was flying backwards. She crashed into Shinji and the two flew through the air, not stopping until they smashed through an untouched portion of roof on a battered and nearly demolished building.

Coughing and hacking as dust filled her lungs and blood was expelled from the force of the blow she had taken to her side, Sayomi rolled over, shaking and covered in dirt to spit the blood out of her mouth and try to regain her breath.

"Ya alright," Shinji asked grimly, his own voice laced with discomfort from his own landing.

"Yeah," she replied shakily, her eyes losing focus as she stared at the blood splattered ground in front of her.

Taking his dust covered and now worn looking cap from his head, he tried to pat some of the dirt from it only to end up coughing as a cloud of the substance was blown back into his face. He paid little attention to Sayomi until he noticed how badly she was actually trembling. "Uh, hey are ya sure yur alright, Sayomi?"

"I don't understand. Why...Why did he..."

Knowing she was questioning her brother's actions in stopping her from killing Aizen and then attacking her himself, Shinji wasn't sure what to say or if he should say anything at all. He settled for shifting uncomfortably.

"He betrayed me again...Why," she choked out, her blue eyes filling with tears that streaked down her cheeks, creating clear paths through the dirt that covered them.

Sighing, Shinji stood up and dusted himself off. "And you let him," he told her blandly.

She was off of her feet in a flash and had Shinji pinned to the crumbling wall a few feet behind him. Her face was twisted into an angry scowl as tears continued to streak down her dirty cheeks.

"I don't see what yur gettin' so angry over, Sayomi, but I don't see why you're surprised. He's loyal to Aizen, has been for a long time remember," Shinji said, his face collected and calm as he stared at her, his eyes briefly flickering to Kensei as the man entered the ravaged building.

"You don't know anything about him, Shinji, nothing! He was-"

"Not the brother you think he is," Shinji cut in.

"Shut up," Sayomi screamed, thrusting Shinji into the wall and causing the man to wince as the crumbling concrete dug into his back.

"Come on, Sayomi, let him go," Kensei said, softly laying a hand on her shoulder and using his other to lower the hand pinning Shinji to the wall, to her side.

Her shoulders shook as she lowered her head, her bangs falling into her face to cast her eyes into shadow. "You don't know anything about him or I, Shinji, so just shut up."

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled, dusting himself off once again.

"You alright," Kensei asked Sayomi, wrapping his arms around her so that he could hold her against his chest and rest his chin on the top of her head.

"No. He helped me so much and he was unhappy with Aizen's plans for me..So why did he stop me from killing him and why did-"

"Sayomi, Kensei," Shinji shouted from outside the building. "You should get out here."

The original urgency in the blond's voice and the grim foreboding in the last statement caught the two off guard and with a glance at Sayomi, Kensei took her hand and led her out of the building. Just as they stepped back into the daylight, Sayomi's attention was drawn to her brother, his spiritual pressure had jumped drastically for a moment before suddenly declining.

Stunned speechless by what she saw, Sayomi could only watch with a blank face as her brother plummeted towards the earth, a red spray of droplets following him.

"What happened," Kensei asked, looking over Shinji who had a frown on his face.

"It looks like I was wrong," he replied regretfully as he turned to Sayomi. "Your brother was the brother you thought he was."

It was then that Sayomi finally looked to Aizen and realized what had happened. Gin had attacked him, there was a severe wound to the man's upper left side that was bleeding profusely and darkening his white kimono a deep crimson. The brown haired man was disinterestedly watching Gin fall, as if he were nothing more than a broken toy that no longer provided him any entertainment and was there for worthless to him.

Despite the look on Aizen's face it wasn't too hard to tell that the wound Gin had inflicted was far from superficial and was in fact quite serious. There was a lot of blood and it was flowing quickly and though he hadn't moved much, it wasn't hard to tell that his left arm was practically useless as it hung limply at his side.

A distant crash tore Sayomi's attention away from Aizen and towards a small cloud of dust and smoke that had been stirred up by her brother's landing. "Gin," she whispered to herself, her body stock still for a moment as she tried to process what had just happened. Once everything fully sank in, she flashed away from Kensei and Shinji to find her brother and his much too rapidly declining reiatsu.

'He tried to kill him himself, but why? He protected Aizen from me so why did he try to kill him?' Sayomi thought to herself as she sped towards her fallen brother.

When she reached him, she found him lying in the rubble of a destroyed apartment complex, blood splattered everywhere around him. He was unconscious and there was a line of red seeping through his lips, his clothes were covered in the same red substance and it was hard to tell where his wound began and ended.

"Gin," she called, throwing herself down next to him and lifting his head into her lap. "Wake up, big brother."

"It's been awhile since ya called me that," Gin rasped, his voice sounding more happy than anything despite the severity of his wounds.

Sayomi half laughed, half sobbed at the comment. "Why did you-"

"I promised ya, didn't ya? That I'd always take care of ya."

"Over a century ago when I was still a child, Gin. I'm not a child anymore, I can take care of myself," Sayomi replied shakily.

"Sure ya can, kid," Gin said dismissively. "I never broke a promise to you and I wasn't about to start now."

Closing her eyes to fight back the tears that were threatening to fill her blue eyes, Sayomi swallowed and took a quick but deep breath before reopening them and continuing. "Did you know you wouldn't be able to kill him," she asked solemnly.

Gin let sighed, allowing another trickle of red to seep out of his lips, causing him to cough harshly and his face to distort in pain. "When you were little, I told ya to run away from dangerous situations, remember?"

Shaking her head and drawing her eyebrows together in confusion over what his words meant, Sayomi answered with an uncertain, "Yeah."

"This time I want ya do the opposite."

It took her a moment to fully process the statement, but before she could reply Gin was hacking and coughing violently, spraying his own blood everywhere. Setting aside her katana, she raised her hands over the deep and brutal gash that spread from his waist to his shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock when Gin grabbed one of her hands. "What are you doing, let me heal you!"

"I can't protect ya anymore, kiddo, but you gotta finish what I started for ya."

"No," she answered, shaking her head at him and trying to move his hands out of her way.

"Sorry," Gin told her, briefly opening his eyes to smile at her before his hands finally stopped blocking her path and slipped from her limply from her wrists.

She felt Kensei and Shinji as the two appeared only a few yards away, but she ignored them. She heard Kensei calling her name and could hear the worry for her in his voice, but she couldn't bring herself to care or to accept his comfort. All she could do for several seconds was simply stare at the unmoving body that was quickly growing cold and would soon become nothing as it melted away into the spirit particles that all souls were made of. The numbness that washed over her was almost a relief, she had never quite felt the surge of emotions that were parading through her and she wasn't sure what she would have done had she been able to fully feel and sense every single one. Her shock gave way to sadness and unspeakable amounts of pain at having lost the only person who had always accepted her, protected her and cared for her. The last person that she could truly call her family.

The pain dulled quickly and with its departure, her reiatsu began to violently shift and rise as anger and rage took over. Her jaw clenched tightly, her hands fisted at her sides, her hair began to dance around her body as her reiatsu became visible, swirling around her like a cyclone, gaining speed at an incredible rate.

"Sayomi, don't," Kensei soberly advised the enraged woman, laying a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her. "Just calm down."

Shaking with pent up frustration, she bowed her head and let silent tears slip down her cheeks, leaving frosty trails and turning to ice as soon as they dripped off of her chin. "I'll kill him," she said, her voice low, quiet and almost tranquil. "I will finish what you started..."

"Sayomi, dammit, you can't fight him alone," Kensei protested. "You'll get yourself killed."

Remaining silent for a moment, Sayomi carefully laid Gin's head down on the rubble and then blankly stared at her blood covered hands for several moments. When she spoke again, Kensei was barely able to hear her words. "And who's going to stop me," she asked, disappearing before Kensei had a chance to say anything, let alone try to stop her.

* * *

Almost done! Only 2 more chapters..ish...

Please review, I was really hoping for 400 reviews before posting the 41st chapter!


	41. Chapter 41 Goodbye

Disclaimer-I don't own Bleach

I'm doing the author's note up here instead of at the bottom this time. I don't really want to spoil the ending in anyway. Anywho, I apologize for the severe delay with the update. I just recently moved and the phone line was bad, which meant no phone or internet for a little while and things were so busy at work that I didn't have time to do much writing anyway. Hopefully this chapter will suffice, it gave me a lot of issues and will probably be rewritten in the future, but I really wanted to get it out and wrap this story up. The next chapter is already in the works too. Has been since before this one actually... So hopefully that will be up in about a week or so. And that my dears, will probably be the last chapter of The Night Beauty.

Moving on, I reached my goal of 400+ reviews with last chapter and just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed.. itachisneko-nya, WinglessDreams, cheeky half-demon, im a man of my word, Tobi-luvs-Itachi, Two Sides of a Coin, LovingBlackParadise, KizunaCho, momoirotan, XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, Varixa, EvilBoyzR2Cute, the holy see, shinoluver, Xx-Away-From-the-Crowd-xX, girlX901, sinirl, erina destiny, jojovmr, XxaftcxX, Lady Skorpio, Ray-nee-chan...Did I get everyone? I hope so.. Thank you all very much for your support.

Please try not hate me at the end of this if it stinks. Instead give me some helpful suggestions if you hated it.

Thanks again, now read on!

**Chapter 41 **

**Goodbye**

"Sayomi!" Kensei shouted after the white haired girl. He took a step forward and caught a brief glimpse of her while she took another flash step, withdrawing her sword in the process.

A bright white explosion of reiatsu shook the the entire town, gusts of wind and flurries of snow swirled with the powerful energy. The sky darkened considerably and the temperature dropped dramatically as the light of the reiatsu began to fade.

When the eyes of all onlookers were able to readjust, they saw Sayomi standing high in the sky, facing Aizen. Cold, frosty winds were churning around her, but not a single hair or fiber of her clothing was moving. Her face was calm, it was her eyes that gave her away entirely while she stared at the brown haired man that was returning her icy, hate filled glare with an amused smirk.

For several long moments, Sayomi simply stared at Aizen before her body appeared to shatter into glittering bits of snow. There was a bitter gust of wind that swept the snow into a tornado like slurry that was hard to track as it began to move towards Aizen.

"What's she doing," Kensei murmured to himself, taking a step forward only to have Shinji grab his arm to keep him where he was. "What are you doing, Shinji?!"

There was no chance for the blond to answer the question when a soul reaper appeared before them, perched on a part of the roof ledge that hadn't collapsed. His black hair and black haori were being whipped around by the winds that were fighting their way through the streets of the town.

"What are you doing here," Kensei grumbled, unable to hide his unhappiness at seeing the captain of the Sixth Division.

Gray eyes briefly looked over at the two people behind him, but finding nothing to be of interest with them, turned away and went back to staring at the sky above.

Irked by the captain's treatment, Kensei growled and would have stomped over to the noble and knocked him upside the head for being disrespectful to his elders, but thought better of it. He didn't really feel like bringing up age at the moment.

"You would do well to leave her be. It doesn't appear that much has changed since the last time she used this technique," Byakuya stated, to no one in particular.

"What do you mean," Shinji inquired hesitantly.

The nobleman took several seconds to reply. "She couldn't control it a hundred years ago and it doesn't appear she can control now. Not when she's as angry and emotional as she is right now."

"Then we should help her," Kensei argued, trying to move forward only to once again be stopped by Shinji.

"I don't believe that a former, third rate captain would be able to do much, but you're welcome to try if you don't value your life." With nothing left to say, Byakuya leapt from the roof top before Kensei could lunge at him.

"Just cool it, Kensei," Shinji said. "Have you ever seen her use this technique?"

Kensei shook his head.

"Didn't think so. It's easy to tell just by the amount of spiritual pressure that's radiating throughout the area that it takes a great deal of focus to control whatever it is she's doing. Right now, there's no guarantee that you'll live if you charge into help her. Give her some time. Sayomi is the strongest among all of us."

"Maybe so, Shinji, but Aizen is stronger than all of us," Kensei replied with a sigh.

Having called upon her bankai and becoming one with it, Sayomi was able to hide herself with kido and flurries of snow so that she was basically invisible and undetectable in the icy winds that were frolicking through the town.

"I believe it's time we show the shinigami how to kill their opponents quickly rather than dilly dallying and playing games," Sayomi said, relishing in the feel of the winds that were brushing over her body.

"_You're being harsh, Sayomi-sama, the shinigami have been trying their best_," Fuyukaze scolded.

"If by their best, you mean getting their butt's kicked, then yes, they've been doing that just fine," she retorted with a snort. "Anyway, I'm not in the mood to argue, we have work to do."

"Yes, we do," Fuyukaze replied grimly. "Just stay focused, Hime."

"I know, Fuyu," Sayomi stated in annoyance.

Taking a long flash step stride, Sayomi appeared directly in front of a stunned Halibel who barely had time to register the presence of the white haired girl that stood only inches away let alone raise her sword. There wasn't even any pain when the silver sword sliced through her from her left shoulder to her right hip, there was blood though. A lot of it that sprayed high into the air and began to fall to the earth, showering the owner in a red rain as her body fell with it.

Sayomi hadn't even seen the blood that had blossomed from the fatal blow to Halibel's torso, she had already vanished in a tornado of white flakes. Her next target, was much more prepared, putting distance between himself and his opponent in order to try and turn on the approaching girl.

He was still too late. The barrel of the gun he held in his outstretched arm slid off from where it had been connected to the handle. There was a sort of screeching cry of agony and Stark's eyes widened in shock. He watched the gun get cut in two and the barrel fall and despite the feelings that welled up inside him, he was unable to do anything about the deep and deadly blow that was landed on him. It was the same strike that had killed Halibel, a simple cut from his left shoulder to his right hip. He was falling before he even realized he had been beaten or even cut. During his entire fall to the rubble that lay strewn on the streets below, he held tightly to the handle of the gun that was still grasped in his hand.

Throughout the gruesome scene, all anyone could do was watch while the two members of the Espada were effortlessly cut down. Those who were fighting them, were stunned and stood stock still, blinking at the place their opponent had been only moments before, expecting them to rise from the dirt that they had fallen into. Anyone not partaking in the actual fighting, but standing back to conserve energy in case they were needed to fill in for a comrade gaped in incomprehension at what was going on.

There were only a few people to not look at all surprised. One was the head captain himself. The wrinkled old man had remained standing his spot, leaning on his staff and watching through half lidded eyes with an expression that never changed and almost made him appear to be sleeping. Another was Byakuya, he had seen this technique of hers before and like the head captain was able to watch or at east track most of her movements. The last person to not appear surprised, was Aizen. The dark haired man was actually smirking. Even though he had lost almost all of his fighting force except for Barragan and Tousen.

It was also safe to say that surprise wasn't quite what the Vizard felt. They had all known that Sayomi was powerful, but not one of them had expected her to be able to effortlessly cut down two Espada in less than a minute and without a single scratch. They didn't know what to think or feel, they could only wait to see what would happen next.

Being that Hachi had just succeeded in switching his rotting right hand with Barragan's and the self proclaimed king of the hollow was beginning to age and rot away to nothing more than ash, Sayomi didn't bother making her way over to Hachi. Instead, she went straight for Aizen. Tousen was preoccupied with fighting his former friend and lieutenant and that was a fight that she didn't want to interfere with.

She was approaching the brown eyed man, lost in a sea of wind and snow, when a wall of pink suddenly appeared in her way and engulfed her target. Forcing herself to turn aside quickly to avoid the wall of sharp blades, Sayomi would have shouted in anger at Byakuya for getting in the way, but she was abruptly thrown through the air without warning when the blades around Aizen exploded outward. Being that she was one with the wind and snow, the blast didn't do much aside from through her of course, what she hadn't expected was for Tousen to break away from his own fight and come after her.

Since the man was blind and his senses unbelievably accurate, he could tell where Sayomi was even though she was cloaking her presence with weak, but still useful kido and was little more than a jumble of snowflakes. Swooping towards her while she was pushed backwards, the man would have succeeded in taking her head off had it not been for the pink petals that swarmed around her to block his path.

Grunting, Sayomi materialized, pushing herself off of a wall with one foot, she shot upwards and into the sky, a cyclone of snow following in her wake. Noticing the several small fresh, bleeding cuts on her arm from Byakuya's help, she growled and cast a glare at the black haired man. She was ignored entirely.

"There is no need to worry. We will not let him get away from us again."

Blinking in confusion, Sayomi glanced down to see that Komomura had been the one to speak. His canine like head was tilted up and his eyes were narrowed with determination. Nodding, she glanced back at Byakuya, silently warning him to not interfere again before she huffed angrily, spun around and shattered into little pieces of glittery ice that was swept away by the wind.

"What are you doing," she growled. Pink blades had met a wall of snowflakes that were stronger than steel with a deafening crash.

"You can't control it much longer, you're-"

"How nice of you to care, Byakuya," Sayomi cut in darkly. "But get out of my way or die where you stand."

"After all you've done to escape his hold and all your brother sacrificed to help you, you will kill yourself before you can reach him?"

"Dammit, Byakuya, just get out of the way! I'm well aware of what my limits are and I don't intend to lose control, but if you keep this up, I just might!" Sayomi yelled, the winds growing more forceful and agitated.

"Think about what you're doing, Sayomi. If you keep going at this pace-"

Crying out in agitation, she lunged forward and sliced through Byakuya. She wasn't surprised when he merely disintegrated. "Not bothering to go any further to make me think it was real, hm? No blood or even a defense, Aizen, how sloppy."

"So you knew it was an illusion," Aizen remarked, smirking down at Sayomi.

"No, but Byakuya would have been able to dodge that," she countered arrogantly. A moment later, her white brows drew together, she could see the calculating look in Aizen's eyes and knew that he was up to something.

"You two were quite close, weren't you?" He inquired casually.

Sayomi chose to remain quiet and not respond to the question.

"You grew up together, didn't you? He was your first love, the one you said you would always love and told you could never love another. Yet you still tried to slice him in half, there was no remorse or even a hint of sadness, just ruthlessness. I wonder, how do you feel now that you have betrayed him? Now that you have known the touch of not just one man, but-"

"That's enough," she shouted, shaking with rage, her reiatsu rising and twisting in bright white ribbons around her. "I've heard all I want to you from you, I hope you're ready to die. You deserve more, but this will have to do." Ripping her nails through the air in front of her face, she called upon the feline like hollow mask she possessed and disappeared. The immense amount of spiritual pressure she was giving off, was enough to make several lieutenant level shinigami stumble while they struggled to adjust their own.

Rumbling sounds like thunder echoed in the town and shook the foundations of the fake building below, but none of it mattered. All that mattered was that Aizen pay for what he done to her, but more so for what he had done to Gin. Revenge for the Vizard wasn't even what she wanted anymore, revenge seemed too petty. She wanted more than that, she wanted Aizen to suffer, the way he had made her suffer, the way her brother had suffered while in his hold for over a hundred years. That was impossible though, there was no way to make him suffer in the same way, he was too arrogant and self assured to let anyone make him suffer. Killing him was going to have to suffice, finishing her brother's work and doing as he requested of her was going to be all she could do.

Winds howled and gusted, twisting and writhing throughout the town, growing more and more frantic with each passing second until the only way to describe the scene was that there was a full blown blizzard. Torrents of wind pushed the snow and ice upwards in loose tendrils, they coiled like snakes as they climbed ever higher until they began to lace themselves around Aizen. They wrapped around his body, but he seemed unperturbed by them and his never fading smirk remained.

Even when they tightened their hold on him and prepared to slice his limbs from his body, the smirk never faded. He simply tapped his heels and soared into the air, swatting the wind away from him like they were nothing. The deep cuts and scratches to hand that were now freely leaking his crimson blood was a nasty surprise he wasn't pleased with. Powerful or not, he didn't believe Sayomi to be capable of killing him nor did he believe her strong enough to do more than give him minor wounds if any at all. The cuts on his hands, however, hurt and stung, had the cuts been elsewhere on his body he had no doubt that he would have suffered from near fatal blows.

With his left arm still limp at his side, thanks to Gin's well positioned strike, Aizen had withdrawn his sword with his right hand and took to using that to combat the writhing vines of ice laden wind that continued to circle him like hungry monsters. Maintaining his air of being on top of the world was becoming harder with every passing second, he was growing annoyed with Sayomi's games. That was all they were to him. Games. She was a child that needed to be taught a lesson and he would happily teach it to her.

For Sayomi, commanding the winds and flowing with them was little more than effortless. She had reached a state of calmness that permeated her entire being, but was not reflected in the vicious storm around her. Unless you looked hard enough and knew what to look for.

Only one person, a smoky eyed noble, knew what to look for and he was surprised by the amount of control she had over herself and the raging of the wind around them all. He wasn't the only one to know that she was calm however, Kensei, had also noticed. Though he was unfamiliar with this technique, he had fought against Sayomi many times and had seen her use similar fighting styles, but most of all he could feel it. They were still deeply connected and her feeling of calm helped to soothe him, his gray eyes never leaving the sky.

It was pointless to hold on to her anger, her sadness and the plethora of other emotions running through her. They would only make her weak. Instead, she chose to take a page out of Ichigo's book. She chose to fight because she had to win. There was no losing, there was no failing, and there was no choice, except to win. If she failed, then she would die and so would thousands more. That wasn't an option. She had to win.

Combining her bankai with her hollow form made her speed beyond that of even Yoruichi and knowing many of the same tricks that the former special ops head knew, she was able to move, dodge and strike without notice. At the moment, she was waiting for the right time to strike. Fuyukaze and the winds under the control of both of them were assaulting Aizen relentlessly, she was simply watching and waiting. There was no point in charging in and risking her life if she could simply hack the man to pieces from a distance. Even with only one arm, the man was a force to be reckoned with and Sayomi knew that if she wasn't careful, she wouldn't survive to win and that was simply out of the question.

"I can't keep going at this pace for more than maybe five minutes. I have to finish this before then," Sayomi thought to herself, letting her body begin to swim closer to Aizen.

She momentarily reappeared, just behind him, a silver katana in her hand and poised to cut his head from his body. The blow was easily and fluidly blocked by a fierce looking Aizen that was starting to lose his patience.

There was no screech, no sound at all except for a whooshing noise when Aizen's blade swung around to strike out at Sayomi. The white haired girl had vanished, melting away as if she had never been there at all.

The winds attacked Aizen again, this time with renewed vigor, swirling and dancing around his entire body. And again, the former Tenth Division captain waited for her moment to attack. Her wait was short, there was something in Aizen's eyes, in his stance and the rising of his reiatsu that made her materialize to his left. This time the screech that resulted in the meeting of their zanpakuto was enough to make even the two of them wince.

No expression ever showed on her face, not that it would have mattered since it was hidden behind her mask. Her eyes met Aizen's with determination and strength, but she didn't let anything show on her pale face. Not even the smirk that threatened to tilt her lips upwards when Aizen suffered several cuts to his torso and one to his cheek by the winds that were still under her command.

"Your power is quite impressive, Sayomi," Aizen stated. "You're able to control the hollowfication well. I'm proud."

"Thanks, but don't flatter yourself into thinking this is all because of you!" Disappearing again, she maneuvered her way behind Aizen and landed a rough kick to his lower back before she became one with the storm around her again.

Reappearing every few moments, she struck out at Aizen only to have her every attack blocked. The only sign of her reappearance to those watching were the clashes of steel and the shower of sparks and snow that resulted from the blows the two fighters were exchanging.

_'You need to slow down, Hime_,' Fuyukaze warned.

"I'm fine," Sayomi replied, though it was obvious in the slight tremor that shook her voice that she wasn't.

Moving at the speeds she was could be very draining on her, even with the added help of her hollow form. There was also the issue of her recent near death experiences, one in which almost allowed her inner hollow to break free of the bonds that bound her to the depths of her mind. The being was still rather feisty because of her recent brush with freedom and was being rather hard to control. She had been able to regain much of her former strength, but it still had been a very long time since she had been forced to use it and the toll it was taking her on was immense.

"I will not lose, I have to win," she said to herself. "Are you going to help or not, Fuyu? I need more. Just a little more.."

A short pause and forlorn sigh greeted her inquiry. The beautiful man that resided in her soul knew the risks that Sayomi was taking in pushing herself so close to her limit, and it worried him greatly. However, his place was fighting by her side, helping to hold her up and make her as strong as possible, it wasn't his place to hinder her with his worry. '_Of course, I will help you little one. I made a promise, didn't I, that I would always fight by your side._'

"You did, thank you, Fuyukaze."

White reiatsu bloomed around her like a firework erupting at her feet, she had appeared several yard in front of Aizen, her head bowed and a replica of Fuyukaze, held tightly in her hand. The power of the reiatsu was unnerving, even for Aizen, but he wouldn't admit it. He had no intention of losing, he didn't think it possible that he could.

Sayomi wasn't going to give him time to do whatever it was he had planned, which she figured to be calling upon his zanpakuto and possibly its bankai. She had no desire to see what he was capable of and chose to show him just what she was capable of. With no hesitation and only a single phrase replaying itself in her mind, "I will win," she flew at Aizen.

Even eyes that were skilled at watching the lightning fast moves of shunpo could hardly keep track of the two people that were constantly vanishing and reappearing in the dark, cloud riddled sky. Snow and bright sparks rained down upon the onlookers with every blow they threw and blocked.

Cut after cut appeared on Aizen. His arms, his torso, his neck and face. Not a single one was deep enough to cause severe pain or damage, but they were enough to get Aizen thoroughly ticked off and frustrated.

A thin line of red appeared on Sayomi's cheek and she hissed at the sting that Aizen's blade had caused. She was slowing down, she had reached her limit and now had a matter of minutes if not seconds to finish this fight or end up overexerting herself and possibly blow the fake Karakura town to bits.

Seeing that Sayomi was having trouble, Kensei was about to intervene and help her, but was stopped when Wonderweiss, who until then had been unconscious in a pile of rubble, stood up and went to attack Mashiro. At first it appeared that Mashiro could hold her own against the childlike Arrancar, but things quickly took a turn and the young looking Vizard took several nasty blows and would have received a fatal one when her hollow mask suddenly broke apart, had Kensei not stepped in and saved her, she would have been dead.

After setting the green haired, battered girl on a nearby roof, he cast a cursory glance back at the fight between Aizen and Sayomi. Kensei gritted his teeth, stuck a finger through the ring on Tachikaze's hilt, pulled the weapon from its sheath and growled out the release command for his bankai. Tekken Tachikaze. Wonderweiss may look like a child, but he was powerful and Kensei wanted to teach the brat a quick lesson so that he would be able to help Sayomi sooner rather than later.

With Kensei unable to help Sayomi, Shinji shot himself up in the air in hopes that he could draw the brown haired man's attention away from the object of his desire and ire long enough to allow her to land a fatal blow on him. He was joined by Love, Rose, Lisa and even a grumpy Hiyori. The group positioned themselves in a sort of circle around Aizen and with careful timing, one by one jumped into the fight to give Sayomi a little bit of a break to rest. Every single strike was knocked aside, Lisa and Hiyori were sent flying, being the weaker ones of the group and really no match for the evil man they were up against.

Sayomi watched, mixing with the snow and icy heavy winds beneath the dark sky, grateful for the brief break from all the fighting. She didn't want to admit it, but she was growing tired. Her body was getting heavy, her reaction times slowing and her attacks weren't hitting with as much precision or strength that they had been at the start of the fight.

"Dammit," she growled, letting her body reform long enough to block a blow from Tousen who had shaken off both of his own attackers and was now setting his sights on her. "I don't have time for this," she hissed, spinning around to kick him in the stomach and then in the face so that he stumbled back a few steps. He was surrounded by her winds within seconds, he didn't have time to call upon his bankai as he had planned. There was no time for anything as his body was torn apart by the sharpness of the ice and snow. Sighing, she shook her head and glanced down at Komomura. "I'm sorry, but you couldn't keep your end of the bargain."

"Turning your back to your opponent, Sayomi, how naïve of you."

She let her pale blue eyes corner over to Aizen, he had rid himself of all of the Vizard trying to help her. Her friends were all either unconscious, too beaten up to move, or in Shinji's current case buried beneath piles of rubble that were hard to break free of. Kensei was still busy with Wonderweiss and as much as she liked the small, innocent boy, he was what he was and he was still an enemy.

"Do you remember what I told you, Sayomi? That it wouldn't be you that paid for your actions," Aizen never finished his thought, he was already on the move. His tactics had changed. She was no longer his primary target, she was too much for him to handle while she was so in control of her emotions and powers, he needed to get her riled up, get her to lose control. She would be much easier to take care of that way.

"And don't you remember what I told you," she answered, disappearing when she took a flash step towards Byakuya. She released her hollow mask and the force of the reiatsu around her diminished slightly, but she was able to see everything much clearer.

The noble was already preparing to defend himself, his sword had scattered in all directions and was closing in around Aizen, but the man easily evaded them all. Still Byakuya seemed at ease, but that didn't stop Sayomi from appearing in front of him. Close enough so that her hair tickled his nose and her blood splashed over the front of his uniform. Aizen had aimed to stab Byakuya in the heart, needless to say, he missed.

"You won't touch a single person I care about again," Sayomi stated defiantly.

The blade tore through Sayomi's right shoulder, piercing through fabric, skin and bone with ease. Blood poured from the cut, but there was no hint of pain on Sayomi's face. She lifted her left hand, wrapping her pale fingers around the blade of Aizen's sword, heedless of the blood that was pouring from her hand and down the steel blade. When Aizen tried to pull the sword from Sayomi's shoulder, she kept her grip on it, tightening it despite the pain that shot through her hand and refusing to let the blade leave its place where it was embedded in her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Aizen," Sayomi murmured blankly. Ignoring the pain that flared up when she lifted her right arm and the shining silver katana that was held in her hand. There was a flash of silver, followed by a thick spray of blood, her fingers loosened their hold on the blade that had pierced through her. Slowly, the blade slid out of her shoulder and fell out if its owners grasp, spinning in graceful arcs towards the streets below. The echo of the clatter shattered the forbidding silence that had descended upon the ravaged town.

His surprise was evident on his face, he hadn't never thought there was even the tiniest possibility that he would lose. Yet here he was, his body practically cut in two and his own blood showering Sayomi and the ground below. For several seconds, he was able to hold himself up in the sky, but when his reiatsu plummeted, so did he.

She didn't watch his descent, she stared straight ahead and let out a long breath, hot, salty tears pouring from her eyes. When her tired, beaten body finally couldn't stand any longer, she collapsed to her knees and would have fallen from her perch in the sky had strong, gloved hands not grabbed her and lifted her into the safety of their warmth.

Byakuya said nothing, he simply held the white haired girl in his arms and stared down at her face, her eyes looked lifeless and distant. Glazed over with loneliness and a tiredness that one her age shouldn't have possessed. Much happened that he hadn't been around for, and much had changed her, whether it was for better or worse, he wasn't sure. The Sayomi he held in his arms wasn't the Sayomi he knew, the Sayomi he had loved. This was just an empty shell with many cracks to its fragile surface.

"Aizen has been defeated, capture the former soul reapers among us and prepare to return to the Soul Society." The head captain's words stunned everyone and at first no one moved to either do his bidding or to try to escape. Everyone could only stare at the wrinkled old man in utter incomprehension. "Now!" His voice rang out like a whip and caused many people to jump, but do as they had been told.

Komomura moved to stand beside Love, Kira beside Rose, Soi Fon next to Hachi, Sasakibe stood over both Lisa and Hiyori while Hitsugaya moved beside a displeased looking captain Kuchiki. Kensei was guarded by a unstable Hisagi and Shinji by Omaeda. Each and every Vizard was bound in some kido spell or another to prevent them from moving or trying to escape.

"Did I miss something?"

"I-Ichigo?" Shinji stuttered out, looking up at the orange haired teen that was walking out of a garganta, followed by captain Unohana. Beyond them clashes of reiatsu could be felt from Eleventh Division's captain Zaraki and an unknown Espada.

The teenager looked around at the destruction and to each one of the people that were still standing, his eyes lastly landed on Sayomi in Byakuya's arms. His amber eyes widened and he looked down to see Aizen's body laying atop a pile of rubble, unmoving and pale. Surveying the rest of the town that he knew to be a replica, Ichigo was beyond words when he saw that every single Espada, Arrancar or follower of Aizen was dead.

"You're late, Ichigo," Shinji grumbled.

"...Yeah..What happened?"

"What does it look like happened? We took care of things here while you were off gallivanting around Hueco Muendo," Shinji replied. "Well, I guess I should she took care of everything."

"Sayomi?" Ichigo questioned, following Shinji's amber eyes to the girl that was now unconscious in Byakuya's arms. "She killed Aizen?"

The blond nodded grimly. "Pushed herself to her limit too."

"Is she going-"

"That's enough!" The head captain roared. "Take the deserters into custody and take them to Soul Society and jail them. Then prepare to invade Hueco Muendo, only a portion of the Espada were here, there may be some left and they cannot be allowed to live."

"Wait, you can't jail them!" Ichigo protested. "They helped you!"

"It does not matter. Their fates were decided for them along time ago."

Ichigo snorted in disdain. "So as long as they're helping you to not die, they're allowed to live, but the second that they kill not just your enemy, but theirs, you turn your backs on them!?"

"You are merely a representative of the shinigami, you are not a shinigami, your input is not needed, nor wanted," Yamamoto stated.

"Don't worry about it, Ichigo, we all knew this was coming," Shinji spoke up, a grim look on his face.

"Yeah, the soul reapers have never been very good at accepting things they don't understand. It doesn't matter what side we're on, or who we're loyal to. We're different," Hiyori added.

"Take them away," Yamamoto commanded. "They'll face the punishment that was passed down by the Central 46 for them in the Soul Society."

"Meaning, we'll be executed," Kensei said roughly.


	42. Chapter 42 The Inevitable Truth

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

Guess what? I decided to make one more chapter after this one instead of shoving everything I wanted into this. The last chapter is going to be more of an epilogue though, but it'll be nice and sweet. Kind of. Also, I will probably do an alternate ending in the next few weeks in which Sayomi ends up with who she doesn't end up with here. That way everyone is happy.

Enjoy even though it's not the best chapter ever...

**Chapter 42**

**The Inevitable Truth**

The nine former Shinigami that called themselves Vizard stood in a row in front of old man Yamamoto. They, along with the current ten captains and thirteen lieutenants were all gathered in the great meeting hall that Sayomi had been condemned to die in only weeks before. The amount of white reminded Sayomi all too clearly of Hueco Muendo, the only thing that seemed to separate this room from most of the ones in Los Noches was the few black tiles that added some form of color to the bright whiteness of the surroundings. There was also a lot more dark wood adorning the walls and framing the windows, she didn't know why she hadn't noticed it before, but she supposed she was a bit distracted when she had last been in the room.

Everyone of the Vizard were barefoot and dressed in plain white robes, there were no swords strapped to their sides or backs, no jewelry or adornments of any kind on any of them. The only accessories they were allowed were the red bonds on their wrists and necks that were there to make it easy to transport them and to drain them of their spiritual energy. They were prisoners in Soul Society, not guests, the fact that if it hadn't been for their help the Soul Society would have fallen was not important at the moment. What was important was upholding the law and the law was whatever the Central 46 had commanded, even if they were no longer in existence and had not yet been replaced.

The faces of the nine Vizard showed a variety of emotions, varying with each person, but not a single one of them seemed surprised by what was happening. They all looked as if it had been expected and though there were some who looked annoyed, bored, or all together disinterested in the meeting that was about to take place to decide their fate, not one of them looked like they expected the news to be good. There was an air of resigned calm surrounding them, they all knew what was coming and they had all long ago accepted what would happen to them should they ever return to Soul Society. They had hidden themselves for a reason and this was it, they may have accepted what would happen, but that didn't mean they were ready to die.

They were standing about a foot apart, focusing on the bent old man that was leaning on his knobby wooden staff, his eyelids dropping as if he were falling asleep. Even Sayomi, who wanted nothing more than to lean on Kensei for support since she was still incredibly tired and weak from yet another near death experience, stayed on her own two feet and kept her head held high, she would accept her punishment and she would do so nobly this time around.

Glancing at Kensei and the stoic way he was holding himself, Sayomi couldn't help but to let a small rueful smile softly lift her lips. When the man looked over at her, his face expressionless, she realized that even though she was ready to accept her punishment because she certainly felt that she deserved it, she didn't want to die. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Kensei, she loved him so much and he had forgiven her to some extent. She knew that if they were allowed to live that she would forever try to make up for her betrayal. It was unlikely that would ever happen and in a matter of days, if not hours, they would be dealt with as hollows just as the past Central 46 officers had wanted nearly a century before and she would never be given the chance to prove her love to Kensei.

Her attention was drawn back to the head captain of the Gotei 13 when he banged his wooden staff against the cold marble beneath their feet, causing the harsh sound to vibrate and echo throughout the room.

Once he was satisfied that he had the attention of everyone present, Yamamoto cleared his throat and began the meeting that would ultimately decide the fate of the nine former loyal Shinigami. "As you all know, we are here to discuss the punishment for the nine people you see before you. They are former captains Rose Otoribashi of the Third division, Shinji Hirako of the Fifth division, Love Aikawa of the Seventh division, Kensei Muguruma of the Ninth division and Sayomi Himura of the Tenth division. As well as former lieutenants Lisa Yadomaru of the Eighth division, Mashiro Kuna of the Ninth division, Hiyori Sarugaki of the Twelfth division and lieutenant of the Kido corp, Hachigen Oshoda.

The charges against them are quite simple. Due to the vile acts of Sosuke Aizen they were made into beings that should not exist. Half shinigami and half hollow, they call themselves Vizard, the masked ones. The former Central 46 decreed that these nine be dealt with as hollows and exterminated as soon as possible. However, with the help of three other former captains, they were able to escape their deaths and hide in the world of the living. It has been over a century since they were last seen and they were presumed dead since we were continuously unable to locate even the smallest hint of their spiritual energy. Now that they have all resurfaced we are here to carry out the will of the Central 46."

Sayomi took a slow, calming breath and let it out slowly as her eyes closed. She was waiting to hear the words that would condemn them all to death for something that they had had no control over.

"_For someone who keeps thinking that the punishment that awaits her is meant to be accepted, you seem awfully fearful of hearing the words._"

Sayomi mentally shrugged a thin shoulder at the beautiful man that had appeared before, he was leaning into the rock of a little niche in one of the many mountains that made up Sayomi's soul. His arms were folded over his chest in a manner that suggested he was being serious and not playful as his endless blue eyes stared right at her with a directness that would have been unsettling had he been anyone else.

"I know what awaits me, Fuyu, and I'm willing to accept it, but that doesn't mean that I am happy with it," Sayomi replied.

"_Would you be happy if you were allowed to live_?"

She sighed, tilting her head back tiredly. "I don't know," she answered wistfully. "Maybe. I suppose it would depend entirely on how. I'm not naïve enough to believe that we would just be released and left to live as we wanted to."

"_But you do want to live, don't you_?"

"Of course I want to live, but I deserve the death that has been waiting for me here."

"_You don't really believe that, Sayomi-sama. You feel guilt and remorse, you should. You did a lot of __terrible things, but they are all things that can be forgiven if you humbled yourself and asked_."

"Maybe I don't want to be forgiven."

Fuyukaze tilted a brow at her skeptically. "_I know you better than that, you want to be forgiven and you __want to make amends, you just don't think you will have the chance. You're giving up, that's very unlike you_."

"I'm not giving up," she protested coolly. "But fighting the orders that were handed down from the Central 46 is impossible and I'd rather not delude myself into believing that there's a chance we will all make it out of this alive and well. Because we won't. Even if by some miracle, we're allowed to live, it wouldn't be freely. We would be prisoners, watched and monitored at all times by people who will kill us if we so much as looked at them the wrong way."

"_Have faith, hime. Things might not turn out the way you expect them to. Now I suggest that you return your attention to what's going on, someone's noticed that you've ventured into your own little world and he's not too pleased with it_."

Opening her eyes, Sayomi came back to the real world to notice that Kensei was looking at her from the corners of his eyes. The eyebrow she could actually see was raised partially in disapproval. She could practically hear him snapping at her to pay attention and stop day dreaming, they were in the middle of an important meeting and deserters or not, they were expected to pay attention to the head captain. The man whose orders and words used to be what their worlds revolved around and they hadn't minded that fact at all, but that was a hundred years ago. They had long since considered themselves free of the Gotei 13 and the laws that governed it.

Sayomi wasn't sure how much she had missed, but she had a feeling she had been off in her own world during something important. Silence had descended over the room and the faces of the rest of the Vizard were far more grim than they had been a moment before. There was a heavy tension surrounding everyone and everything that was writhe with dissatisfaction.

"It just doesn't seem right," the kind, white haired captain of the Eleventh division, Ukitake, spoke up.

The head captain's beady eyes were the only part of him that moved, shifting to stare at his former student, but giving nothing he was thinking away.

"I agree, old man," Kyoraku added from beside Ukitake, pulling the piece of straw he had been chewing on from his mouth. "It doesn't feel right to execute people who helped us defeat Aizen. Especially because a bunch of dead guys said so a hundred years ago."

"What are you talking about 'helped'," captain Hitsugaya muttered sourly. He didn't appear to want to say anything, but he continued anyway. "If wasn't any of us that killed Aizen, it was that girl," he let his eyes float towards Sayomi's back and practically glowered at her before crossing his arms over his chest and looking away.

There were murmurs of agreement and snorts of disapproval from some who still believed that the help of the Vizard had been unneeded in defeating Aizen.

Yamamoto banged his staff on the marble again, immediately quieting the entire room and recapturing all attention once again. "That is enough," he scolded. "The orders of the Central 46 are absolute, whether they are alive or dead doesn't matter."

"Well..." Kyoraku drawled before shaking his head and muttering, "Never mind, it's nothing."

"Good, if there are no further-"

"It's just I can't help but think that it should matter that the Central 46 is dead. There's isn't a current governing power. Well outside of yourself, anyway.."

The head captain sighed at the interruption of Kyoraku. "Get to the point, Shunsui."

"Well, I'm a little curious," Kyoraku said, scratching lazily at his chin. "Just what were the exact orders of the 46? I mean, we didn't know much about what had happened back then and if it says that those nine are to be executed because they're hollows.. I think it's obvious that they aren't hollows, so why are we executing them?"

"Just because they don't look like hollows doesn't mean a thing," Soi Fon objected. "They can use the powers of hollows and use hollow masks, that makes them-"

"Something we don't understand," Ukitake cut in. "But still, that doesn't make them hollows."

"No, it just makes them different," Kyoraku agreed.

Sayomi couldn't help but to snort at the debate going through the room about what they were, if they were hollows, soul reapers or freaks that needed to feared.

"What is it you find so amusing, Sayomi?"

Her eyes widened and she had to resist the desire to snap around to face Byakuya, who had been the one to speak. The sound of his voice had quieted the entire room and now all eyes were turned to her.

"Are you going to answer the question," Byakuya asked.

She shook her head. "Why should I? It's not like anyone here is going to care what I have to say. I'm not one of you."

"I see," Byakuya replied coolly. "You aren't a soul reaper?"

"No."

"So you're a hollow?"

"No. I'm something else altogether. Even I'm not entirely sure what I am, but I know that it doesn't matter. You're all scared of what you don't understand and how can you be expected to understand when we can't give you any answers to your questions."

"Hmm, you know Yama-jii, it sounds to me like they aren't hollows at all," Kyoraku interjected thoughtfully.

"If that is the case, then the orders of the previous 46 are meaningless. It wouldn't be right to kill them for being hollows if they aren't." It was Matsumoto who had spoken this time, she was oddly serious for once, her pretty face pulled into a concerned frown.

"I hate to admit it, but she's right," Hitsugaya grumbled. "If they aren't hollows and the orders say to execute the hollows by the same name as each of them when there are none, it doesn't seem right to kill them anyway."

"Perhaps we should take a look at the original document," captain Ukitake suggested.

"What does it matter," Sayomi muttered before the kind man could continue. "He isn't going to change his mind." Nodding her head towards Yamamoto, she looked back at Ukitake and the others. "We appreciate your help, but we already knew this would happen." There were nods and murmurs of agreement from the eight others lined up to her right. "You can say whatever you'd like, but in the end the head captain is going to do what he feels is right and that is going to be to exterminate us. We're beings that aren't supposed to exist. No we're not hollows, nor are we soul reapers any longer. We're a strange hybrid that was born from one man's twisted desires to be all powerful. We're cursed. We weren't meant to live past that day one hundred and two years ago, but because of Kisuke Urahara, we did. Our fate has finally caught up to us, that's it."

"Sasakibe," Yamamoto called after a short silence in which Sayomi had smiled at Ukitake and Kyoraku who looked rather dejected by her words. "Find the original documents that those gathered so badly want to question." He ordered when the man appeared by his side.

Sayomi's head snapped back around, her blue eyes wide just like the eyes of every other person in the room. There were no words she could say to express her surprise at hearing the old man plan on indulging those in the room. It hadn't been what she was expecting. The Yamamoto she knew wouldn't have put up with having the orders of the 46 questioned, he would have put a stop to it and would have simply declared their deaths inevitable and unavoidable. He wouldn't have bothered to provide evidence of the decree, he didn't need it after all, with the Central 46 gone, his words were supreme.

"Return them to their cell," Yamamoto commanded, nodding at the nine speechless Vizard. Turning away from them, he strode through a dark doorway in the back of the building without another word.

Sayomi jolted backward when her glowing bonds glowed back to life and she was tugged towards the door. Glancing at Kensei, she saw that he too was just as uncertain with the recent turn of events as she was. None of them had expected there to be a small chance, no matter how minuscule it was, that they would be allowed to live.

"Don't give up just yet, Himura," Kyoraku nudged her in the arm and winked, tipping his straw hat to her, then sauntering off, calling after his lieutenant who had already began to walk away.

Ukitake gave her a small and a nod to reiterate what Kyoraku had said and then he too turned away to make his way back to his own division.

The last person that she saw was Byakuya, he hadn't moved from his spot nor had his lieutenant that was looking rather lost and unsure of what he should do while Byakuya stayed silent and still. When he looked up and met Sayomi's eyes, he quickly looked away and strode elegantly from the room. Blinking in confusion, Sayomi blindly followed her jailers.

Once again, Sayomi found herself in the Repentance Tower only this time she wasn't alone. They were all being held in the tower made of seki seki stone. Kensei though having forgiven Sayomi for her original betrayal was still distancing himself from her. He was having a hard time with the truth of what had happened while Sayomi was with Aizen. He felt betrayed and hurt, but not once did he stop to think about how Sayomi must have felt dealing with everything on her own.

She had had her reasons for doing every single thing she did while posing as an ally to Aizen and hadn't expected to come out of everything still living. Part of her wished that she hadn't survived, then she wouldn't have had to see the look in Kensei's eyes and know that he was hurting because of her actions. Comforting him was out of the question, she was afraid that he would push her away just as he had been doing for days now. There was nothing she could do or say to make the pain he felt go away, he was the only one who could work out what he was feeling.

He still loved her, she knew that and it was obvious in the way he would look at her every now and then, but he was stubborn and he didn't know how to handle the situation he found himself in. So he did nothing. He didn't comfort her or hold her, tell her everything was going to be ok and that he loved her even though he desperately wanted to. And so they both suffered in silence, alone until they were once again called before the head captain later that evening. Both expecting to not have to suffer much longer.

* * *

"Release them."

"W-what...This.." Sayomi blinked down at her hands that were now free of the bonds that had encircled them. Turning her head to Kensei, she tried to speak only to collapse onto her knees on the cold tile, tears running down her cheeks, unnoticed. They had just been told that were to be released. They had been deemed to not be hollows and therefore the execution orders passed down through the years were overturned by a majority vote that the head captain had been unable to ignore. However, they were still not soul reapers and being something that wasn't understood and therefore not accepted, as well as their past transgressions, which consisted solely of them running for theirs lives. They were to be exiled and sent back to the living world.

"Get up," Kensei gruffly ordered her, stepping up next to her.

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. "After all of that.. the waiting, the knowing..."

"It seems that we were all wrong, Sayomi," Shinji said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "People really can change."

"It was inevitable, don't you think?" Kyoraku asked.

The nine Vizard looked up at him in confusion.

The long haired man smiled. "That the truth would come out." The man said nothing more, but smirked at them again before turning away to walk off with Ukitake who also cast a smile and wave in their direction.

* * *

"Open the damn gate, Urahara," Ichigo yelled for what had to have been the millionth time. He was red in the face from his hours of harassing the blond shop keeper to get him to open a gate to the Soul Society.

The geta wearing man, refused each and every request. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. Exiled or not, he was still answerable to Yamamoto to some degree. The old man had made it perfectly clear that should Ichigo or any of the others gathered around him: Uryu, Chad and Orihime, make their way into the Soul Society during the sentencing of Sayomi and the other Vizard that there would be dire consequences for them all. "I can't, Ichigo," Urahara said, he had long ago grown tired of trying to act nonchalant, it got him nowhere and he was just as worried for the nine that had been taken into custody as Ichigo and the others were.

"I don't want to-" Ichigo was cut off when a gate appeared behind Urahara.

Everyone gathered in the underground training facility became quiet, a sense of foreboding filled them and the waited to see who would step out when the wooden doors slid open. It was thought that it would be Yoruichi, she had been the only one allowed to go back to Soul Society and she had promised to bring news of the nine Vizard when everything was over. No one had expected her to return so quickly. They had only learned of the hearing to decide the fate of their friends that morning, she had only been gone for a matter of hours.

The screen doors slid open and as expected, Yoruichi strode through them. Those gathered assumed the worse, but were surprised and confused when Shinji followed the woman out, grinning like a cheshire cat. He was followed by Hiyori, Lisa, Hachi, Love, Rose and then Kensei. The last person to step out after a brief pause, was Sayomi, her head bowed.

"Sayomi!" Orihime cried, running up to the white haired girl and embracing her while tears filled her green eyes. "You're alright. I'm so glad!"

"Don't look so shocked, Kisuke," Shinji drawled. "It's not like this is a one time occurrence or anythin'."

"You were released?" Ichigo stuttered out, he was still in a state of disbelief and found it hard to believe that all nine Vizard were standing before him, alive.

Shinji shrugged. "Why else would be here?"

"It was decided that we weren't hollows and since the orders from the past 46 were to kill us because we were hollows, the orders were overturned. However, we're still not soul reapers and because of that will not be allowed to live with them again. We're also still considered traitors to some degree since we deserted even though we had good reason." It was Sayomi who had explained, her voice tired and strained, reflecting the expression on her face. She looked as if she had aged, there were no lines or wrinkles, just a sense that she had endured far more in her time alive than anyone should have had to.

"What will you do now," Uryu asked.

"We don't have to hide anymore, not from Soul Society at least, we can live much more normal lives. Together or apart," she added quietly, lowering her gaze to the ground.

Orihime stayed next to the distraught and worn looking girl, an arm around her that would occasionally stroke her hair in hopes that it would help to ease away the troubles of her friend.

All of the Vizard, except for Kensei, watched Sayomi with sad eyes. While Kensei had begun to forgive her, he was still distancing himself from her and he was doing it when she was most in need of a friend and a comforting shoulder to lay her head. He was angry and hurt and not just over her betrayal, he had gotten over her joining sides with Aizen, all of her reasons for doing so were ones he could understand. It was what she had done while in his grasp. It was hard to overlook her actions with the man and even harder to have seen the way that Byakuya Kuchiki still looked at her, and she him, whether she realized it or not.

"If you'll excuse me, I'd like to go home," Sayomi announced quietly, pulling away from Orihime and making her way to the ladder that led to the Urahara Shoten above.

"Wait," Kensei called after, a bit reluctantly, he was receiving stares from every person in the room ranging from unhappy frowns to angry glares.

Pausing, but not bothering to turn back around, Sayomi stood alone a few yards from the rest of the group, waiting to hear what Kensei had to say.

When no other words followed, Sayomi shook her head softly and was about to start walking again when a rough hand took hold of hers. Eyes widening minutely, she turned to stare up at Kensei and almost immediately dropped her eyes in shame, allowing her snowy hair to hide her face. The golden eyes that had met her own were too full of emotion and Kensei had never been one to show much emotion, but because of her he felt betrayed, hurt, sad and bitter.

The tears were gliding down her cheeks and dropping to the dusty ground below her within seconds. She did nothing to stop them or to wipe them away, she didn't even move until she was swept up into Kensei's familiar, strong embrace.

"I love you."

Hearing those words from his lips made the dam break, the tears feel faster and she gripped onto Kensei for support as her body shook and trembled with the force of the sobs that poured from her lips.

"I'm sorry, Kensei, I'm so-"

"Just shut up already," he grumbled, smiling wanly at her when she looked up to meet his eyes. "I understand. I've been an ass, I haven't thought about you must have felt through all of this. I'm sorry." Having finished what he wanted to say, he scooped her up into his arms and kissed her fiercely. "Just don't ever do something like that again, ok? Have a little more faith in me."

She nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I want to go home."

"Yeah, lets go home," he agreed, pulling her tightly against his chest again and kissing the top of her head.

"Hold on just minute," Kisuke objected. "You can't leave like that."

"And why not," Kensei snapped.

"Because Sayomi doesn't have a gigai," the blond replied with a toothy smirk, whipping his fan out to hide his face.

Sayomi had been the only one not in a gigai when taken to Soul Society, the others had had theirs confiscated, but not destroyed. They had been returned when they were told they were free to leave, but that still left Sayomi gigai-less since her gigai had been destroyed thanks to Aizen and Ulquiorra.

"Not to worry," Urahara sang. "Jinta, Ururu will you please retrieve Ms Himura's gigai?"

"You already have one made for me," Sayomi asked in confusion. "Why?"

The shop keeper merely smiled.


	43. Chapter 43 Happy Endings, Or Not

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

This isn't edited..At all.. So please excuse any errors, I just sort of wanted to finish this story off with something kinda nice and sweet before I got distracted with other things since I'm about to get real busy again. So I hope you have all enjoyed The Night Beauty, this is the final chapter. Look forward to an alternate ending a prequel though. ;)

* * *

**Chapter 43**

**Happy Endings, Or Not..**

"Dammit Kensei, wake up!"

The gray haired man mumbled something under his breath, flipped over onto his stomach and pulled a pillow over his head.

Growling, Sayomi stepped forward and grabbed the pillow off of his head and then proceeded to start hitting him with it.

"Alright, alright I'm up," Kensei grumbled angrily, snatching the pillow away from Sayomi and sitting up to glare at her.

"It's about damn time," she snapped. "Have you forgotten what today is?"

He blinked his golden hued eyes and tilted a brow in thought even going so far as to scratch at his disheveled hair while Sayomi stood a few feet away in one of his shirts that was several sizes to big for, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. "Uh.."

Throwing her hands up in the air with a shout of frustration, she spun around and walked out of the room. "I suggest you hurry up and remember, we have to leave in an hour to be at Urahara's on time. And so help me, Kensei, if you make us late for our own wedding, I'll kill you!"

"Love you too," he shouted after her, ignoring the curses she yelled in response.

Grumbling to herself, Sayomi stalked through their small apartment and slammed the bathroom door behind her. After being exiled to the living realm with their lives still intact it had taken everyone a little while to figure out just what to do with themselves. They didn't have jobs, they had very little money and being that they never aged and weren't exactly human their options had been very limited.

However, with some help from Urahara and many of them suspected that several of their former friends and comrades had pitched in also, they had been able to leave the abandoned warehouse that they had spent nearly a hundred years in behind and buy a small apartment building that accommodated them all quite comfortably. They had even gone so far as to open a small coffee shop on the lower level of the building, it had been Sayomi's idea and it had proved to be a good one. Their were always many soul reapers coming and going in Karakura. Some were there to work, some to vacation and some would just pop in now and then to visit, like Ukitake and Shunsui, the former of which had forced Sayomi to begin carrying sake. Those venturing to Karakura didn't have a lot of places to go besides Urahara's and he sold sweets and soul reaper trinkets. She provided them with food and occasionally lodging since there were several open apartments in the building. The business made a good deal of money even though most of their clientèle were from another world.

For over two years now, the former captains and lieutenants had lived a rather peaceful and carefree life, it was much different from what they had grown used to. There was no more hiding, no more fear that they would be discovered and executed any day and most of all, there was no more worry over Aizen and when he was going to strike. Everything was fairly normal for them.

After changing into a plain pair of jeans and pulling a black and white striped shirt over her head, Sayomi stepped out of the bathroom and went back to the bedroom, fully expecting Kensei to still be in bed. When she noticed he wasn't, she was about to call for him, but squealed instead when she was picked up and tossed onto the bed, Kensei pinning her down with a grin.

"I think we're going to be late," he said to her before leaning down to kiss her.

"Kensei," she protested, trying to push him away. "I still have to get ready and all of my stuff is already at Urahara's!"

"So?" He ran a trail of kisses down her neck and felt shiver despite her protests.

"I hate you," she sighed, but grabbed him and brought his face up to hers. "If we're going to be late, might as well make it worth it." With that, she kissed him fiercely.

* * *

"You two are late," Hiyori shouted at the couple that looked from her to each other.

"Her fault."

"His fault."

The spoke at the same time, pointing at each other in hopes of proving their point. Hiyori snorted, rolling hers and then stomped away.

"Was Hiyori wearing a dress?" Sayomi leaned over to ask Kensei.

"I think she was."

"That's..."

"Weird," Kensei finished.

"Yeah, a bit," Sayomi admitted.

"I can still hear you," Hiyori yelled. "Shut up and get ready, everyone is already here!"

"Who is everyone?" Sayomi inquired. "I thought it was just a few people?"

Kensei shrugged. "I guess everyone's here already."

"Ok, well, I'm going to go get ready," Sayomi chirped, releasing Kensei's arm and pecking him on the cheek before skipping towards the hallway that led to a few of the lower floor rooms. "See you soon my soon to be husband."

Once Sayomi was out of sight, Kensei made his way upstairs and to the room he would be getting ready in. He was a bit surprised to find Shinji waiting for him, but didn't say anything about it. A black suit with a deep blue tie was hanging from a changing screen in the corner and without a word, Kensei stepped behind the screen to change.

Shinji chuckled to himself when Kensei began to curse and mutter under his breath. "Need help with the tie?"

"Stupid thing, I don't know why I have to wear it," he grumbled in annoyance as he stepped from behind the screen, fiddling with his tie and then fiddling with the cuffs of his black blazer.

"'Cause Sayomi would kill ya, if ya didn't." Shinji stood up from the chair he had sat in, he was dressed smartly in gray slacks, a blue shirt and a white tie. "Come here, I'll tie it."

"Thanks."

"Smile, Kensei, you're getting married to the love of you're life," Shinji teased the nervous man who glared at him. "And everyone is here to see it."

"What do you mean everyone is here to see it," Kensei asked, suspicious now that two people had made it seem as if there were far more people than expected.

"You'll see," Shinji grinned.

* * *

Humming to herself, Sayomi danced down the hall and into the room she would be using to get ready in. When she entered the room, she smiled at Orihime who she had expected to see before her eyes grew big and she screamed when a pair of arms wrapped around her and her face was smashed into the large breasts of none other than her childhood friend, Matsumoto Rangiku.

"Oh, Sayomi, I'm so happy for you," the woman purred.

"M-Matsumoto, air," she grasped.

"Oh, sorry," Matsumoto chirped, releasing a red faced Sayomi who was grasping at her own, much smaller chest.

"What are you doing here," Sayomi asked, confused by the busty woman's presence. Not to mention, she wasn't in her shinigami robes, she was in a black dress with her pink scarf over her shoulders and a cute matching cardigan.

The woman only smiled, clasped her hands together and winked. "Come on lets get you dressed, we're running late and that just won't do!"

"Matsumoto!" Sayomi tried to protest, but it was no use, she was shoved all the way into the room and her clothing was being pulled from her body despite her attempts to push the woman away. Knowing it was no use to even bother trying to fight the woman off, Sayomi sighed and let the woman do as she wished.

* * *

"Sayomi's going to flip," Kensei said upon stepping off of Urahara's enchanted carpet that was lowering people that needed it from the house to the floor of the training room that looked nothing like it normally did.

Instead of looking like a barren desert, Kisuke had made a few simple adjustments and there were now several waterfalls and little rivers flowing throughout the grounds. There was also a lot more greenery, where it had come from, Kensei had no idea and figured it was best not to ask since Jinta looked a little more than irritated as he glared at a nearby tree with his arms folded over his chest that was clothed in not a plain t-shirt, but a white button up shirt that he looked extremely dissatisfied with.

Not only was the scenery entirely different from what he was used to. Tables and chairs had been set up in a little clearing and were decorated with centerpieces of white calla lillies and little sparkling snowflakes. It looked amazing and he knew that Sayomi would be ecstatic to see what had been done, but he wasn't sure what her reaction would be to the number of people that had shown up. Most of whom were to far away for him to recognize.

"Hello," a familiar voice greeted. "Congratulations, Kensei, you're a lucky man."

"C-Captain Ukitake?"

"Don't forget about me," Captain Kyoraku piped up, popping up from behind his friend to grin at Kensei.

"Uh, what are you guys doing here," Kensei asked a bit rudely in his surprise.

"What do you think they're doin' here," Shinji drawled, sticking a finger in his ear and twisting it. "They're here 'cause they missed ya."

"And because we all know how much Sayomi misses her home, we thought that if she can't go home, we'd bring a little of it to her," Ukitake replied.

It was then that Kensei took another look around and realized that the scene he was staring at was familiar to him and a smile crept onto his face. The grounds to the Himura compound had been replicated in great detail. The only things missing where the houses and the fountain.

* * *

"Are you done yet," Sayomi asked for the tenth time in less than one minute.

Matsumoto shook her head. "No, now stop moving around so much or this is going to take forever. And stop pouting, you look perfect, I promise."

"I wasn't planning on wearing a lot of make up, I hate make up," Sayomi complained childishly.

"I know," Matsumoto replied. "But, trust me, you want to look perfect today."

"She's not making me look like a clown, is she Orihime?"

The red head shook her head and smiled. "No, you look beautiful, Sayomi."

"You look very pretty too, Orihime, I like your dress. The green is a good color for you. I think Ichigo will like it."

Orihime turned bright red and began stuttering in embarrassment. The girl had been head over heels for Ichigo for a long time and the silly boy being as dense as he was, had only recently realized this and had finally done something about. So far the two had only been on a few dates, but Sayomi had hope that the two would be together for a very long time.

"Ok done," Matsumoto chirped, hopping away from Sayomi with a large grin on her pretty face to admire her handiwork.

Standing up and intending to get a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Sayomi shouted in surprise when Matsumoto snapped at her and pushed her away from the mirror. "What was that for?!"

"No peeking until you're in your dress and ready to go," Matsumoto scolded sternly.

Huffing indignantly, Sayomi stomped over to the closet where her dress was hanging in a clear bag to protect it from any harm. After carefully removing the long gown from the bag, Sayomi, with the help of Matsumoto and Orihime to lace the bodice, finally put on her wedding dress and slipped off the robe she had been wearing.

Finished preparing, her hair and make up now done, Sayomi was led over to the mirror, Matsumoto covering the woman's blue eyes with her hands so that she would peek too soon. As soon as Matsumoto's hands were gone from her eyes, Sayomi focused in on her reflection and after a moment of simply staring, she smiled widely and spun around to wrap her arms around Matsumoto.

"Thank you so much, Rangiku, your coming here makes me very happy. I never thought that I would this perfect and it's all thanks to you."

"Oh, hush, it's not like it took much to make you perfect. You have perfect hair, beautiful skin any woman would kill for and you're so damn small, it's cute," the woman replied.

Sayomi laughed and turned back around to get one more look at herself in the mirror. Her dress was fairly simply, instead of going with a traditional Japanese wedding she opted for a more Westernized wedding so that it would be less formal. The dress was all white, the beaded bodice was strapless and gave way to an organza ball gown skirt that brushed against the floor as she walked, even in her heels. Her hair had been curled into soft ringlets by Orihime while Matsumoto had done her make up with simple earthy tones and put a sheer gloss over her lips.

A knock on the door startled her out of her own little world and after hurriedly calling out that they would be right out, she slipped Fuyukaze back on her wrist since she had removed the bracelet to get dressed. After grabbing a small bouquet from Matsumoto, the girls began to file out of the room, Sayomi was the last one out and she was the last one to see Ukitake standing near the trap door that led to the training room. What was more surprising was that not only was he in a gigai like Matsumoto, he was dressed in a black three piece suit with a pale blue tie. She had never seen him in anything other than his uniform that she wasn't sure what to think.

"C-Captain Ukitake? What-"

"There's no need to be so formal, Sayomi, we're here as friends today," the kind man told her with a smile as he held his arm out for her to take.

Blinking at him, she took the arm he was offering and smiled in thanks.

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of volunteering to walk you down the aisle. It was either that or Shunsui, and well I thought that wasn't the best idea, he would think it was all about him," Ukitake chuckled.

"Kyoraku is here too," Sayomi asked in surprise, looking up at Ukitake.

The man nodded and smiled before helping her to step onto Kisuke's floating carpet. As the carpet began to lower them and Sayomi saw the scene that waited for her, she gasped and her eyes filled with tears.

"T-This is..."

"We thought you all might like a little piece of home," Ukitake whispered to her, squeezing her hand. "Congratulations, Sayomi. We are all very happy for you. The head captain included, he sends his best regards and thanks you for all the help you've given to the shinigami who visit Karakura."

"The head captain said that," she asked incredulously.

Ukitake chuckled. "He did. He's not as scary as everyone thinks him, you know?"

Sayomi shrugged. "He's still scary," she mumbled, stepping off the carpet and on to a patch of neatly trimmed grass.

"Just a moment," Ukitake said, stopping her before she could step forward. "There was someone else that wanted me to give you a message."

Sayomi glanced at him and swallowed, nodding slightly and lowering her eyes. "Byakuya?"

"He's-"

"If you're planning on talking about me, I suggest you do it when I'm not present," a monotonous voice spoke up, startling them both.

"Byakuya?" Sayomi turned around to see the man standing a few yards away, he was dressed in his usual shinigami attire and looked as if he didn't want to be there.

"May I have a word with Sayomi, Captain Ukitake?"

Nodding, Ukitake strolled off a little ways to give them privacy.

"I was surprised to see so many people here, but I'm even more surprised that you would show up to such an event. It's not quite your style," Sayomi observed.

"I won't be staying long," he replied.

"Ah.."

"I just wanted to congratulate in person and wish you happiness in your married life."

"Thank you." She managed a weak smile, but was having a hard time looking up into Byakuya's eyes. There was too much emotion there, too much that she didn't want to see in his eyes. "I hope you find someone again, Byakuya, you deserve to be happy and to be loved by a great woman."

"I was once and it's not something that I think I can ever replace."

Her breath hitched in her throat and she couldn't bring herself to look up.

"I hope you enjoy the festivities, I need to be returning-"

"You did this, didn't you? The decorating and the people..."

Byakuya didn't reply at first when she brought her eyes up to his. "I did nothing."

Sayomi smiled and laughed. "That's very like you. To deny the truth because you don't want anyone to know you have heart."

Arching a black brow upwards, the nobleman stared at Sayomi indifferently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She smiled again, looking back at Ukitake now that there were soft notes of music floating to her ears, signaling that the wedding was about to start. Seeing her glance, Ukitake began to slowly makes his way back over to her.

"Thank you, Byakuya, it means a lot to me that you did this. I owe you-"

"No. I owed you. Congratulations Sayomi." And with that the nobleman was gone.

Sayomi blinked after him.

'What do you think he meant, Fuyu, that he owed me,' she asked the man that she could sense reclining comfortably in her inner world.

'_I think that the Byakuya-sama Sayomi-hime remembers has finally recalled who he is. He lost himself in his grief and his anger at the world for taking so much away from him, but I think he realizes that he's not as alone as he thought. After all, he just has to look around to see that he has friends_.'

Smiling to herself, she nodded and retook Ukitake's arm so that he could lead her to the platform where Kensei stood waiting for her, fidgeting restlessly until he set eyes on her and smiled. Looking around as she walked, she nodded and waved to several people. Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasagawa, Captain Unohana and her lieutenant, Captain Kyoraku and many others that had come over from the Soul Society to witness the special day.

* * *

"Dammit Kensei, wake up!" Sayomi yelled, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at her husband.

"Shut up," he groaned, burrowing further under the sheets and smashing a pillow over his head.

Grabbing the pillow, Sayomi started whacking him with it until he finally grabbed it away from her and sat up with a grouchy look on his face that soon turned to a look of confusion when he noticed Sayomi's rather disheveled state. She was dressed in a pair of black wide legged yoga pants and a pink tank top, she was also soaked from head to toe. The oddest thing though was the burn marks on hurt shirt. "What happened to you?"

She blinked at him, trying to reign in her anger, but she failed. Miserably. "What happened to me?! What happened to me?! Are you serious?!"

"Well, yeah," he replied.

"Who the hell's idea was it to teach a five year old boy how to use destructive spells?!" She screeched, jumping when there was a loud band in the hall and she ran to see that the door to the bathroom now had a big, gaping hole in it. "That's the fourth door this week! He's your son, Kensei, and if this doesn't stop-"

"He's your son too," Kensei snapped.

"I know that!"

"Then don't put this on just me!"

"If I didn't teach him the spells, you had to have!"

"Well I didn't!"

"Then who did?!"

"What's with all the commotion?"

Kensei's and Sayomi's eyes narrowed as they looked to the door leading to hall. "SHINJI!"


End file.
